Crazy Thing Called Life
by Politics.and.Prose
Summary: She really thought it was going to happen this time. She had all the symptoms. Finchel Future Fic. * COMPLETE *
1. Chapter 1

Rachel Berry was not a star.

And no, neither was Rachel Hudson.

But Rachel Hudson _did_ consider herself to be a success.

She had a great husband, a beautiful daughter, and classroom full of wonderful students.

Well, technically they're students, even if they sometimes still wet their pants and their hardest lessons include learning their ABCs.

But, that aside, she was incredibly happy with the way her life was panning out.

Sure, she was back in Lima after spending four years in Columbus. And sure, it was weird seeing so many people that she knew from high school acting like adults.

Because they _were_ adults.

But right now, she kinda disliked her life and being an adult. Because that probably meant that she wouldn't be able to curl back up in her bed and cry herself to sleep for the next seven years or so.

She really needed to get into the shower and get ready for work.

"Rach? Honey? Have you seen Hadley's pink Mary Janes? She won't let me put anything else on her feet and I need to get out the door and over to day care within the next five minutes!" Finn called down the hall from their three-year-old's bedroom.

She didn't respond.

"Rach?" he called again. "Stay here," he told his daughter before getting up and walking down to their bedroom. "Rachel? You okay?" he asked as he moved to the door of the en suite bathroom. "You've been in here for a pretty long time."

She pulled open the door and walked out. She was still in her pajamas but the shower was running and her face was wet from the tears she knew she had been crying, regardless of her own determination to handle this in an adult manner.

"I'm sorry," she whispered brokenly as she looked up at her husband. "I … I really thought I was this time."

He stared at her in confusion before she stepped slightly to the side so he could see five pregnancy tests line up along the vanity.

"Oh, baby," he whispered as he wrapped an arm around her and peered over to see that all said the same thing, in which pretty much amounted to _Sorry, buddy, but your wife ain't knocked up yet_. "It's okay."

She turned into him and pressed her face against his chest, tears sliding down her cheeks. "But we've been trying for over a year, Finn."

"I know, baby," he said softly against her temple as one hand held the back of her neck and the other ran softly over her hair.

His heart was breaking because hers was.

And this wasn't something he could do anything about.

-x-

"I just don't know what to do," he told Puck as he wiped some sweat from his brow

It was an unseasonably warm day for mid-September and the two owners of HP Landscaping were out at the Jewish Community Center, surveying the freshly -sodded front lawn. They kept several areas sectioned off to put various plants and flowers but, for the most part, they were operating under the "less is more" policy for the JCC.

"Shit, dude. You just gotta keep going. And from what Rachel tells San, you two _really_ like trying."

"Dude, don't tell me about your pillow talk. It grosses me out," Finn told him before moving over to one of the muchled beds. "First, hand me some bitterroot. And second, it's not so much about her not being pregnant that bothers me. Don't get me wrong, I want another baby. Really bad. But it's more, I don't know, the fact that she's getting more upset ever month when she buys out the pregnancy tests at Meijer and she gets a whole bunch of negative results." He took the flower from Puck's hands before properly placing it in the soil he uncovered. "I don't know how to make her relax and just … let it happen."

"Like in a _Grilled Cheesus has a Plan _kind of way?"

"Shut the fuck up," Finn grumbled before tossing some mulch at his partner.

"You kiss your wife with that mouth?" Puck rejoins with a shit-eating grin before kneeling down next to Finn and planting some more bitterroot. "Seriously, though, dude. Just relax and let it happen. I mean, when was the last time you had sex with her and _didn't_ think about making a baby?"

"Our honeymoon, probably," Finn said with a smile. "Wait. No. At Sam's wedding. In the coat room."

"I knew that was you, dickwad," his best friend responded. "Wait," he added, face scrunched up. "First, you owe me twenty bucks for the dry cleaning bill for San's coat. Second, wasn't it just about nine months later that …"

"Yeah," Finn responded with a goofy smile. "That was the night she got pregnant. She bitched for _weeks_ because she would never be able to tell Hads that she was conceived during a round of dirty sex against a coat rack at Uncle Sam's reception."

"The fuck she wanna tell your kid where she got knocked up for?"

Finn shrugged. "How am I supposed to know?" He took a deep breath and grabbed another plant. "It's just … we both want a big family, you know? She was adopted and my dad died before I knew him. We're both only children and even though I had you and you were _like_ a brother, I knew, more often than not, at the end of the day you were going to _your_ house with _your_ little sister and I was going to my room play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle or Power Rangers on my Sega Genesis." He shrugged. "We don't want Hadley to grow up lonely."

"I get it, man. I honestly do. But charting this shit out and only doing it missionary at precisely five twenty three am isn't going to get Rachel pregnant."

"I really need to tell Rach to stop telling shit to Santana. Your girl can't keep her mouth shut."

"One of the things I lo – uhh, like about her," Puck responded with a grin.

Finn smirked and got up to grab a bunch of canarygrass. "When are you gonna make an honest woman outa her?"

"The fuck you mean? We're not even _talking_ about that shit. Fuck, man," Puck ground out as he ran a hand over his head. "Stop talking about commitment and shit. It's making my balls crawl up into my body."

"You're disgusting," Finn guffawed. "And, if I'm not mistaken, you're the one who stopped sleeping around first. And you, what, tricked her into stopping too?"

"Would you shut the fuck up and work, dude? Swear to God I'd rather have one of those dumbass kids back rather than be out here with your Modern Male bullshit."

"Whatever you say, Puck," Finn responded with a grin. "Just let me know when you're planning to pop the question so I can have some tissues handy for Rachel."

"Fuck off," Puck muttered before slipping in his ear buds and getting back to work on the bed he was working on.

-x-

Rachel sat outside in the little playground they had set up for the kids on school grounds. The one for the kindergartners was away from the larger playground that the older children used. She liked it that way, mostly because it meant that she and whichever other teacher was on lunch duty (today it was Mrs. Applefield, _her_ former kindergarten teacher) only had about thirty five children to look after.

She was trying her very best to be upbeat and not let anyone know how upset she really was. 

All of the signs had been there. She was late (though that wasn't really an indicators, as her cycle was thrown off when she came off the pill), she wasn't feeling very well, some smells made her stomach churn. And she had just thought that this was it.

Clearly it wasn't.

She and Finn both wanted a large family. First, after what had happened in high school, she knew her husband wanted to know what it felt like to really be a father. She also knew that growing up without any family aside from his mother, he wanted them to have many children to ward away any possibility of loneliness.

And she knew that now, even if Kurt technically was his step-brother, it wasn't the same.

And she had always wanted a sibling as well, though she knew from a young age that her daddies couldn't give her one like she wanted.

She imagines that's why she got everything else she wanted growing up.

"Rachel, dear, are you okay?"

"Oh, yes, Mrs. Applefield. Uhm, Greta. Yes. I'm just fine."

"I know fine and you're not it, young lady," her former teacher and current colleague told her sternly. "So out with it."

Rachel sighed, her eyes glancing around the small playground twice to make sure all of the students were accounted for, before she ran her hands over her skirt and turned to Greta. "It's just … Finn and I are trying to have another baby. Actively trying. And have been for nearly a year. And this morning, I thought for sure when I looked at the screens on those five pregnancy tests …"

"… Five?"

"… that I would know for sure that I was pregnant again. But they all said I wasn't," she concluded as if Greta hadn't interrupted her.

"Maybe you should stop trying," Greta said.

"What?" the younger woman gasped in horror. "But I just got through telling you that Finn and I want a large family. And while Hadley is an amazing daughter and I – _we_ – feel blessed to have her in our lives, we want more children."

"Yes, yes, dear," Greta nodded and patted Rachel's knee. "I just mean, stop _trying_. Stop planning it out. Just have a lot of hot, unprotected, sweaty, physical …"

"Greta!" Rachel cried in horror as she slapped a hand over the woman's mouth. "Please do _not_ continue that thought aloud."

The older woman chuckled and pulled Rachel's hand from her face. "I'm saying just make love to make love. And one day, boom, you'll have a baby."

"Mrs. Hudson," a tiny voice called from the area of Rachel's knee, "where do babies come from?"

Rachel wished she had a desk to slam her head against.

-x-

When Finn got home from work he saw Hadley sitting in the living room with a bowl of dry Cheerios. His eyes scanned the couch and the kitchen but didn't see his wife.

"Gramma's in the bathroom," his daughter muttered, eyes never leaving the screen. "Momma's napping."

"Thank you, baby," Finn said as he walked into the room and knelt down to press a kiss to Hadley's forehead. "How was your day?" he asked as he flopped onto the couch and tugged at the collar of his polo.

Rachel had insisted they speak to Hadley as if she were an adult (within reason, of course) from the day she said her first word ("Now"), and Finn agreed. To a point. He still was known to let some baby talk slip out, but it was more of a habit to ask his three year old how her day was.

"Colored. Cartoons. Gramma made pie."

Even if she wasn't quite as loquacious as her mother.

"I smell flowers," the little girl added.

"Yeah, sweetie. I brought some home for Momma."

"Good," Hadley answered before directing her full attention back on the television.

"Oh, Finn! Honey, I didn't know you were home," Carole said as she walked into the living room and sat beside her son. "You weren't home when Rachel got here and she said she was feeling a bit under the weather so I said I would come over while Burt finished up some work at the shop. I have a lasagna in the oven."

"Real lasagna or Rachel lasagna?"

"Real lasagna," Carole chuckled as she gripped her son's hand. "She told me about this morning."

"Can we not make a big deal out of this, please? I know it _is_ a big deal but," his eyes traveled down to Hadley before looking back to his mother. "Just not right now."

Carole patted her son's hand and nodded. "Sure, baby."

Carole stayed a while longer before turning the oven off, kissing her son and granddaughter, and heading home to her husband.

An hour later, after Finn had fed and bathed his little angel, Rachel came out of the bedroom in a pair of sweatpants and one of his old t-shirts. "Did I miss dinner?"

"Mom made real lasagna," Finn said as he brushed out Hadley's hair. "I can make some peanut butter toast for you if you're hungry. Trade off is that you have to brush out Wiggle's hair."

"Fair trade," she murmured as he wandered over and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. She took the brush from his hand and gently shoved him towards the kitchen. "I'm _really_ hungry." Her eyes glanced down to her yawning daughter and she smiled. "And not just for peanut butter," she added.

"Yeah," the little girl chimed in. "Momma should have a banana too."

Finn was never in his life so glad that Puck wasn't there.

-x-

Later that night, Finn and Rachel sat down and talked about not actively trying anymore and just trying to let it happen.

They both agreed that when it was supposed to happen, it would.

But they might as well practice as much as they could. Because "baby making practice", as Finn called it, was one of the most fun things that two people could do together.

And practice they did. Every spare moment they had, one was attacking the other.

One day, Finn and Noah had to come over to rework the front of the school and she spotted him outside, polo sticking to his body with sweat, passion and determination in his eyes, and she just about faked an illness to be able to go home and have sex.

She almost considered inviting him into the teachers' lounge to break in the new couch the school board had just provided to them.

Well, she considered it but had to dismiss the idea when she thought about Greta or Maxwell, the seventy five year old third grade teacher, sitting on it and smelling sex.

She had no idea why she was so turned on by him lately, but she wasn't complaining.

And he _certainly_ wasn't complaining.

-x-

When the middle of October hit, so did cold season at Heritage Elementary School.

First, it was Lyle Timmons with a nasty cough and watery eyes.

Then it was Jillian Mitchell with the sniffles and a "twisty tummy".

Then Carl and Craig Coons ralphed on the table during craft time. The rest of the table was sick within two days.

And then it was her.

She would wake up and feel ill, empty her stomach, drink some tepid honey tea, nibble on some toast and head to work. She didn't have a headache but she figured her vitamin supplements were helping with that. And with the lack of sneezing and coughing.

She hadn't like back in high school – she rarely got sick.

She was certain she had some kind of weird stomach bug.

By the fifth day, Finn was freaking out. Usually when Rachel was sick it was bad.

And not just for his sex life.

"Baby, I called Santana. She got you in to see her dad this morning. Want me to drive you over there?" he asked as he surveyed Rachel's pale complexion and her slightly shaking hands. "Did you throw up again?"

"I'm fine," she responded weakly.

"Don't even try it. Puck came over earlier and picked up Hadley and he and San are keeping her for the day. We cancelled our schedule and San took the day off. I called Marla and let her know that you wouldn't be in. So, let's go. Jeans and a sweatshirt, baby, and get your sick ass in the car."

"Nice, Finn," she muttered before shuffling into the bedroom to change.

By the time they got to Dr. Lopez's office, she was feeling better and insisting that he take her home to change so she could go to work.

Needless to say he told her that she was going in there and they were going to get to the bottom of her sickness and that was the end of it.

She made him pull over so they could make out in the car for a few minutes, feverishly whispering that she loved it when he was all take charge like that.

He had to file that bit of information away for a later date.

After about ten minutes of waiting, the nurse came and called Rachel back. She looked to Finn and he got up to go with her.

"Would you be able to give a urine sample?" the young nurse asked her.

"No. I'm sorry. I didn't plan to come in this morning and …"

"That's quite alright, Mrs. Hudson. Is there any possibility you could be pregnant?"

Finn tried not to let his heart break at her whispered, "I don't think so."

They weighed her and took her blood pressure (slightly elevated), temperature (a perfect 98.6) and pulse before telling her Dr. Lopez would be in with her in a moment.

When Carlos came in, they made small talk for a few moments, asking Finn how the business was and asking Rachel how Hadley and her class were.

He examined her head to foot and couldn't seem to find anything. "Tell me, Rachel, what are your symptoms again."

"Nothing," she told him with a shrug. "I feel fine."

"She's been pale and can't keep foot down," Finn said with a glance at his wife. He decided to ignore her glare. "Sometimes she shakes but that's only because she's either not eating or she's throwing everything up."

Carlos shook his head and made some notes on Rachel's chart. "Well," he said as he slid his glasses from his eyes, "I don't see any outward signs of illness. No redness of the throat, no fluid in the lungs. I think what I'll have you do is go for some blood work. We'll do a general screen, test for kidney, liver, stomach problems, thyroid and glandular issues, blood sugar levels … and we'll see what happens from there." He checked off a whole slew of tests and handed her the form. "Fast from 8 p.m . tonight, go get the blood work done tomorrow morning before work, and we'll call you when the results come in."

"Thanks, Mr. Lopez," Finn said as he extended his hand. "Tell your wife we say hello and that my mother and Burt would love to get together with you guys."

"Will do, Finn. And don't forget to bring that little angel of yours around soon. Elena wants to dote on _someone's_ child since Santana is clearly not in the mood to give us grandchildren of our own."

"Yet," Rachel said with smiled before giving him a hug and allowing Finn to escort her out of the office.

-x-

So she did as asked and got her blood work done. Then she went on with her business.

She was still feeling queasy and Finn was still spazzing. Hadley knew her mother was feeling "icky" but simply snuggled next to her. Carole, Burt or Santana picked Hadley up from day care and Puck was … well … Puck.

So three days later, when a young nurse from Dr. Lopez's office called and asked her to come in for the results of her blood test, she felt a chill and called Finn. He picked her up from work and took her to Dr. Lopez's office.

"Finn, Rachel. Good," the older man said as they were ushered into his office. "I'm glad you both came. Please, have a seat."

They did as they were told and Rachel reached over and grabbed her husband's hand in support. He could tell she was afraid and, truth be told, he was nervous as well. What if there was something wrong? What if it was serious?

"Well, I do have the results of your blood work. Tell me, Rachel, why is it that when you were asked if you could be pregnant you said no?"

"Oh," she said, brows furrowed. "Two weeks before I took a few …"

"… five …" Finn deadpanned.

"… pregnancy tests and they all came out negative."

"I'm sure you've heard of false negatives," Dr. Lopez continued.

"Of course," Rachel continued, "But I selected the brands that promised the most accuracy."

Dr. Lopez smiled slightly. Finn gripped her hand tighter because he, for the first time, was catching on before she was.

"Even those can be flawed, Rachel. The only sure fire ways to prove or disprove pregnancy are blood or urine tests."

"Right. I understand that completely." She took a deep breath. "Now, please, Dr. Lopez. Please let me what's wrong with me. Is it diabetes? Stomach ulcers? Throat cancer?" she asked in fear.

Carlos and Finn shared a look and a smiled before Finn patted her hand and leaned over to press his lips to her forehead.

"No, Rachel," Carlos chuckled. "There's nothing wrong."

She stared at him blankly. "I don't understand," she said as she leaned forward in her seat. "If there's nothing wrong then why are we in here?"

"Rachel, you're pregnant," Carlos told her with a grin.

Rachel stared at him again. "Not possible. The tests said …"

"They were wrong," Carlos cut her off. "The blood test proves it. If you'd like, we can take a urine sample and prove it in just two short minutes. Our strips are a lot more accurate than the ones in the store."

"Fine," she said as she stood and marched from his office. "But if it comes back negative, so help me …" she said as she slammed the door behind her.

"Is there any chance it's going to come back negative?" Finn asked as the smile fell from his face.

"No," Carlos said with a smile. "She's definitely pregnant."

Finn grinned wildly and lounged back in his seat, shutting his eyes and clasping his hands behind his head. He was going to be a father. Again.

-x-

Five minutes later, Rachel was sitting next to him once again, her leg bouncing nervously. Carlos had gone out to read the results and left her and Finn to wait for him.

Dr. Lopez came back in with a smile and told them, "I would make an appointment with Dr. Chin."

Rachel shrieked happily and threw herself into her husband's arms.

-x-

Three days later she was laying on the table in Dr. Chin's office, her belly exposed and chilly from the gel Miss Nancy just squirted onto it.

"This should be able to help see how far along you are," she said with a smile as she placed the sonogram wand against her stomach. The older woman smiled as the screen flickered and they saw something barely the size of a peanut on the screen. "No more than a few weeks," Miss Nancy added with a smile. "Let's get the first picture." She pressed a few buttons and two copies popped out of the little machine. "Here you go. Dr. Chin will be in shortly."

"We're really pregnant," Rachel whispered as her eyes locked on the picture of the tiny life that is currently growing inside her.

"Way to go, baby," Finn whispered before kissing her. "I'm so proud of you. And I love you." He kissed her again. "But you're the one telling Hadley where babies come from."

Rachel let out a loud groan and wondered why they hadn't waited until their daughter was slightly older before having another baby. "I love you, too. And thank you."

"For what?"

"For giving me another baby," she whispered.

"It was fun," he chuckled. "And, you know, we can still practice for round three while we're still in the middle of round two."

"You bet your ass we can," she said with a grin as she pulled him down by the collar to kiss her again.

Finn _loved_ Rachel when she was pregnant.

He got so much sex when she was hormonal.

And, to be honest, pregnant Rachel turned out to be a _huge_ kink he didn't know he had last time around.

He couldn't _wait_ for this time.


	2. Chapter 2

This whole thing is dedicated to **tjcrowfoot**, my awesome muse. Thanks for being such a pushy bitch (told ya) and encouraging me to write something so far out from what I usually would – a Puck/Santana major story line – and giving me the most helpful feedback and advice. You truly are wonderful and I thank you.

Also, please forgive me if there are any weird lines near the bottom. I have no idea how they got there and they will not go away. In short, I hate Word.

..xo..

**[Six Months Later.]**

"I think we need, what, four pitchers of Bud, one of Corona and one of … what the fuck kinda girly ass beer you drink, Hummel?" Puck asked as he looked away from the Applebee's waiter.

"You disgust me," Kurt replied to Puck before turning to the waiter. "White peach sangria, please."

The waiter smiled and shot Kurt a wink before turning to Rachel. "And you, ma'am?"

"Just a water. Oh, and maybe an unsweetened tea. And a lemonade. Wait. No. Not lemonade, I read in a magazine that the tartness could give me really bad heartburn. So just the water. And the unsweetened tea. Thank you, Gregory."

The old group had gathered together for a celebratory dinner – Mercedes had just passed the Ohio Bar Exam. Kurt, Brittany, Mike, Tina, Mercedes, Quinn and Sam had all made it to the dinner to join Santana, Puck, Finn and Rachel. Artie was stuck in Columbus at a tech conference but had called Mercedes to congratulate her.

"Geez, Goodyear. Like you don't spend enough time in the bathroom anyway. Should just move your class in there and kill two birds with one stone," Puck muttered as he tried to shoo their waiter from the table.

Santana reached over and slapped him up the back of his head. "Would you kindly shut the fuck up?"

"I'm, uh, sorry, ma'am," Gregory cut it. "But we don't have any unsweetened tea."

The whole table groaned loudly. Great. Kid was going to piss off pregnant and more irritable than usual Rachel.

Puck kinda wished he had popcorn.

"Excuse me?" she asked in a sugary-sweet voice.

"Rach …" Finn said softly as he moved his hand to rub her lower back.

"We don't have any unsweetened tea," he repeated. "I can get some raspberry or some sweet tea for you."

Rachel shifted so Finn wasn't touching her anymore. "What do you mean you don't have any unsweetened tea?"

"Well, I …"

"You nothing. I have been dining at this establishment since it opened in 1998. And every time – _every single time_ – I come in here, I order a water and an unsweetened tea. And do you know what my waiter or waitress brings me every time I order them?' She paused, eyes wide and eyebrows lifted. "That's right," she plowed on. "They bring me a water and an unsweetened tea. Now, Gregory," she continued, a huge, obviously fake smile plastered to her face. "What I would like for you to do right now for me is wander on into the back – do not pass Go, do not collect $200 or Kurt's phone number, and get me a goddamn glass of water and an unsweetened tea!"

"Yeah. Everyone's definitely staring at our table now," Sam whispered to Puck.

And then Rachel burst into tears.

And Puck slammed his head to the table.

"She was a lot more fun when she wasn't so fat," Brittany whispered to Santana.

And then the Latina's head joined her … friend's … flat against the wooden surface of the table.

-x-

An hour later, Finn was helping Rachel lower herself into their bed. Well, really, she was kinda lifting herself to be lowered, as the mattress was high, but that was neither here nor there.

"Finn?" she asked softly as she looked into his eyes. She brought a hand up to caress his cheek softly, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.

He thought he was definitely getting lucky tonight.

"Yeah, babe?" he whispered as he brought his lips closer to hers, his hand sliding down to caress her belly before moving up to cup her cheek.

"Am I fat?"

Oh. Shit.

How in the hell should he answer that? She hadn't asked him so far during this pregnancy. She did last time, with Hadley, but that seemed like so long ago that he couldn't remember the answer that had gotten him laid.

And he really wanted to get laid.

He wished, in that moment that seemed to go on forever, her eyes searching his, a dangerous frown almost forming on her lips, that he had a Twix.

Those dudes in the commercials _always_ said the right thing when they had the chance to chew on a Twix bar.

"N-no. Of course not, babe. You're-you're pregnant …" he stalled pathetically. And then it hit him. "That's our little boy or girl in there, babe. And the more you grow, the more he or she grows. And that means he or she is healthy. And that's what we want."

"Aww, Finn," Rachel breathed, her hand moving behind his neck to pull him down to her. She inched over on the bed so he could maneuver himself beside her. "I love you," she whispered before bringing his lips down to meet hers.

He needed to write that shit down for next time.

-x-

"God, that was lame," Santana said as she unlocked the door to the apartment she shared with Puck and walked inside. "Five fricken' hours of listening to Mr. Bigwig Asshole Boss Man telling us all that we're not pulling our weight. Fuck that noise. I'm there almost every fucking day," she bitched at no one. "Fucking idiot, tool, dipshit."

"Who're you talking to?" Rachel asked as she stepped out of the small kitchen.

"Holy fuck, Hudson!" Santana cried as she placed her hand over her heart. "What the hell are you doing here? Shit," she dropped her voice down. "The midget isn't here, is she?"

"No," Rachel chuckled, her hands running over her protruding stomach. She continued to remind herself that she only had six weeks left. She hoped.

She really missed seeing her feet.

And watching Finn … service … her.

"Where is she? You didn't leave her with Puck, did you? I mean, I know he's pretty awesome with her and all but seriously, Rachel … tell me you didn't leave her _alone_ with him."

Rachel chuckled again and shook her head. "Noah and Finn are doing some landscaping over at the house and Hadley just _had_ to stay and watch. And help. And before you ask, Sam and Kurt are there as well. Sam's trying to help the guys out since they're short staffed with the college kids still in school for a few more weeks and it's prime weather for planting or something. I have no idea."

"What's Kurt doing there?" Santana asked with a smile on her face.

"Watching."

Then both girls erupted into giggles.

"Seriously, though, I came to bring you over to the house. We're going to grill out. Finn got me vegan hot dogs! You can try one if you want to."

"Rachel, buddy, you know I like my wieners to be _all meat_."

"You're as vulgar as your boyfriend," Rachel muttered before grabbing her purse.

"My _what_?"

"You heard me. Now get your behind downstairs and into the minivan, please."

"First, he's not my boyfriend. Second, I hate your car," Santana grumbled.

"I'm not even going to respond to either of those statements. Keys. Lock. Out. Now."

"Yes, mom," Santana muttered under her breath.

But she did as she was told.

-x-

"So," Finn said to Puck as he and Sam moved a brick slab. "You tell her you love her yet?"

"First," Puck said as he moved his own slab, "fuck you. Second," he grunted as he dropped it to the ground, "fuck you. And third," he continued as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, "she won't even admit to being my fucking girlfriend. Yeah, sure, Finn. I fucking told her I love her this morning."

"Don't need to be a dick about it," Finn muttered.

Puck blew out a harsh breath. "Yeah. I know. Sorry, dude. It's just … you and Rachel … you got it right the first time, you know?"

"What the hell are you talking about, man? Rachel and I … we took, like, fifty mulligans, dude. Need I remind you that _you_ were with Rachel after the first time I was?"

"You weren't dating her before I got with her," Puck denied. "You just … kissed her a few times. Right? That's not dating. You got with her after me."

"And then I fucked it up," Finn argued.

"Is that the time you dumped her because she wasn't cool?" Sam asked as he took a drink of water.

"Please don't get started on the Rachel and Finn Saga. It's worse than Twilight," Kurt said from the blanket he and Hadley were sitting on. "Now, this dress," he said as he directed the little girl's attention back to the _Glamour_ he held open in front of him, "is for women who don't care what anyone thinks of them because they think highly enough of themselves as it is."

"It's orange," Hadley said as she wrinkled her nose. "I can't like that."

"Me either, kiddo. Me either."

"Don't corrupt that kid!" Puck called out.

"You do enough of that on your own, Puckerman," Kurt called back before turning back to the magazine and the little girl he was charged with entertaining. "Now, let's talk about accessories."

"Doesn't that worry you?" Puck asked as Sam nodded in agreement.

"Nah," Finn said with a shrug. "We _want_ her to be into dresses and stuff. So, you know, Kurt's the perfect person for her to learn fashion from."

"What about Quinn?" Sam asked.

"She wore a cheerleading uniform to school every day that she wasn't pregnant. Not much to go on," Puck responded. Then he paused and looked at Finn and Sam. "Shit. We're turning into chicks. Beer run?"

"Sam and I will go," Kurt said as he stood from the blanket and moved to meet the other men. "We can pick Quinn up from work on the way back and I can supervise him while he attempts to buy the correct booze for you borderline alcoholics."

"Fuck off, Hummel," Puck muttered.

"Uncle Noah! Swear jar!" Hadley shouted as she stood, balled up fists going to her hips.

Finn thought she looked just like her mother.

"Noah, really," Rachel said as she and Santana walked into the back yard, "We'll be able to send Hadley to Harvard with all the money you donate to the swear jar."

Finn was about to comment when he cell phone went off. It was his mother, screaming bloody murder that she thought she saw a rat and Burt was out of town getting parts and he needed to get the hell over there _now_ to either catch it or kill it. "Sorry, babe," he said as he kissed Rachel on the forehead. "As soon as I get back we can start the grill. I'll bring Mom."

She nodded and squeezed his hand before heading towards the blanket and her daughter. "Well, Miss Hadley. Why don't you show Mommy what you've been looking at?"

"Okay!" the little girl squealed before plopping back down on the blanket.

Santana smiled softly as she watched Hadley place her tiny hands on Rachel's stomach. The little girl's eyes lit up, presumably at a kick, and pressed harder, causing Rachel to chuckle and gently relieve some of the pressure.

Puck glanced at his … girlfriend (Fuck it. Even if neither of them said it out loud, she was his fucking girlfriend and everyone in town knew it. Except maybe her.) from the corner of his eye and noticed the tiny smile crossing her lips.

He knew she wanted that someday even if _she_ didn't know it yet. He saw how she acted with Hadley, how she sometimes stared at Rachel's belly. Or her wedding ring. Or her wedding photos.

And there was one time he _swore_ he saw her glancing at a bridal magazine.

Though she would never admit it.

"Nice little family moment going on over there," he said quietly, his eyes switching between watching Santana and watching Rachel and Hadley.

"Whatever," she said as she rolled her shoulders and looked over at him. "It's all so … domestic. I don't know how she can stand it."

"Liar," Puck chuckled as he wrapped and arm around her. "You know you're _dying_ to have a family like that."

"Fuck you," she spat. "You don't know anything about me."

"Please," he scoffed. "I know all there is. You want a family. You want a husband, a kid or two, a yard and probably a dog too. Don't try to fool me or yourself."

"I do not," Santana replied hotly. "Fucking around is great."

"You haven't fucked a guy who isn't me in three years," he told her, his body turning full towards her and his eyes narrowing. "And don't even try to pretend you have. We're in a fucking relationship, okay? Like it or not, you're my girlfriend."

"Don't you _dare_ say that! I can fuck whoever I want to and you don't have shit all control over it!"

"Uh, guys …" Rachel said softly from her spot across the yard.

"Yes I fucking do, Santana. How many times do I have to tell you you're my girlfriend and I _know_ you?"

"God, Puck! Just … shut the fuck up! It's not like I want that shit _right now_ …"

"But some day you do. And you want it with me. If you didn't we sure as shit wouldn't be having this fight right now," he responded, his voice trying to go soft but, really, he couldn't speak gently when he was this fired up.

"So what if I do? Huh?" she shouted as she turned to face him as well, her stance aggressive. "So the fuck what if I wanna have a family with you? What do you suppose I should do about it, Mr. I'm-Never-Fucking-Settling-Down? What the fuck do you want from me?" She reached out and shoved him hard, repeating, "What the fuck do you want from me?"

"I want you to fucking marry me, okay? Jesus, woman!" He threw his arms out in frustration.

She stared at him in stunned silence.

"I love you, you crazy bitch, okay? But, you know, thanks for sharing the fucking sentiment. You know what? Fuck it," he muttered before storming off the deck and heading for the wooden gate, unlatching it and (unnecessarily) kicking it open.

Santana heard him all but rip the door to his truck open then slam it shut a second later, the V8 revving up and the squeal of his tires as he peeled out of the Hudson driveway.

She took a few deep breaths, trying to hold back the tears, her eyes moving over to see where Rachel was attempting to stand up with the (useless) help of her four year old.

She wouldn't sob, she promised herself. But she couldn't stop a few tears from coursing silently down her cheeks. Her eyes shut as she tried to block out the last couple of minutes. They only reopened when she heard Hadley say, "Uncle Noah owes lotsa monies to the cuss jar."

She tried to laugh but, damnit, it came out as a broken sob. And then another and another.

"Momma, is Auntie Ana gonna have a baby too?"

And then her knees gave out and she fell to the deck, huge sobs overtaking her body, her mind unable to get any thought across aside from, "What the fuck did you just do?"


	3. Chapter 3

Rachel moved around the bed pulling back the covers, a pensive look on her face. "Santana's staying in the guest room," she told Finn as he walked out of the bathroom. "She said she couldn't bear to go back to their apartment right now."

"She shouldn't go back," Finn said as he walked out of the bathroom, one towel around his waist, another in his hand as he ran it along the back of his neck. "He told her he loved her and she kinda just stared at him. I mean, who does that?"

Rachel swallowed thickly, her eyes dropping to the bed, completely unable to stop the tears that were forming in her eyes. She hated pregnancy hormones. "Me," she whispered. "I do that."

Finn let out a heavy breath. "Rach …"

"I did that exact thing, Finn," she reminded him. "I said _break a leg_, you said _I love you_ and I said nothing."

"The song started."

"It took me five months to say it back," she responded as she shook her head. 'You never once gave up on me in that time. You called me, you texted me. You took me on dates and held my hand and kissed me. And you kept telling me that you loved me. And I didn't say it back, not once, until well into our relationship."

"That was different. You …" he trailed off. Come to think of it, she'd never told him why it took her so long to say it back. "Wait. Why _did_ it take you so long to say it back?"

"Because, I …" she said softly, one hand moving to rest on her stomach, the other resting on the bed. "I, uhm …"

"Rach?" Finn asked softly as he slid on his boxer shorts and looked over at his wife. "Is there … I mean, why can't you just tell me? Is it … is it bad?"

"You'll think it is," she told him in a whisper. "And then you'll get all broody …"

"I don't brood."

"And then I'll get upset. Then you'll get upset …"

"Rachel …"

"Finn, I …"

"Just tell me," he said. "I promise it won't be bad. It's all in the past now."

She took a deep, fortifying breath before saying in as steady a voice as she could muster, "Because I was still waiting for you to leave me for someone else."

To say Finn was shocked would be a massive understatement. He couldn't believe what his wife was saying. He'd had no idea that she was holding out because she doubted his feelings. He'd taken every measure he could possibly have thought of at the time to make sure she knew he loved her and he wouldn't leave her.

He'd turned down Quinn for her. Though, to be honest, it wasn't that hard to do. Sure, he felt like they had been bonded over the baby that was never his, and he felt betrayed and hurt when he found out the Drizzle Hudson was actually Beth Puckerman.

"Rachel, right after you did that thing to Sunbeam …"

"Sunshine."

"Whatever. Right after you did that, I went in and talked our friends down. I-I told you I would never break up with you. I told you we could raise or children Jewish. I … I sang my _soul_ to you when I told you I wouldn't break your heart. I did a musical for you. I didn't _kill_ Puck when he kissed you at that stupid party. I …" he exhaled loudly and ran his hand over his hair and let it settle at the back of his neck. His eyes drifted down to the turned-town bed before rising up to meet hers again. "God, Rach. How could you keep something so huge from me? I spent _months_ handing my heart to you and I tried not to die a little every time you didn't give yours back. And now, ten years later, I find out that you weren't sure I truly loved you? That I would, what, see a new Cheerio and drop you? Jesus," he said as he shook his head and shut his eyes. "I can't believe you didn't trust me."

"Finn, I …" she trailed off, voice catching in her throat. "You – you have to understand. It wouldn't have been the first time …"

"I _changed_ when we got together, Rachel. It was so, so different. I wasn't in pain over the baby anymore. I could finally be open and honest with you about how I felt. Because it wasn't until Santana and Brittany started making fun of you on our date …"

"Oh, right. The date you went on right after you broke up with me to find your inner rock star," she spat back. "Because dating me was too constricting and dating two stupid, rude, _slutty_ Cheerios was way less pressure on you. Because it was all going to be some sordid, cheap, meaningless _screw_ to you."

"That's right, Rachel. _Meaningless_. I needed to _not_ be in a committed relationship right then. I mean, do you have any idea how it felt to be lied to like that? It's not something you can get over easily."

"You mean like when you tricked me into rejoining the glee club so that _you_ could win a scholarship to take care of the baby you _conveniently_ left out of the conversation before and after you kissed me on our bowling date? Was it something like _that_ feeling? Because I wanted to do so much more than slap you that day, Finn Hudson."

"Wow, Rachel. Brining up the past so you can make me feel guilty for siding with my best friend. Real mature, Rach."

"Don't you _dare_ talk to me about being mature, Finn Hudson. I'm not the one who …"

"Geez, Rach! Just shut the hell up for a minute! We agreed before we got married that we would stop brining up the past to hurt one another. Why the hell can't you just let it go?"

"You started it!" she yelled back at him.

"No, I didn't," he reminded her, trying to keep his voice gentle. "You brought it up saying that you're just like Santana and didn't say it back as soon as you felt it."

"Finn, I felt it a hell of a long time before you told me you loved me. I told Kurt before Sectionals."

"Why didn't you tell _me_ before Sectionals?"

"Oh, I don't know," she said sarcastically. "Could it be because you pretty much laughed in my face and called me a sad clown hooker …"

"Oh, God. Not that again."

"Or could it be because you were in love with Quinn and she was _having your baby_?"

"But she wasn't!" he cried loudly. "She was having Puck's baby."

"Yes, Finn," she said in a condescending voice, her clenched fists moving to her hips. "I'm the one who told _you_ that, wasn't I? Because you didn't realize you can't get pregnant from your boyfriend _ejaculating_ in the hot tub!"

"Oh, so now I'm stupid again. Damnit, Rachel, that was the first time I'd ever gotten any kind of real play from Quinn and we'd been together for, like, three months at the time."

"Three whole months. Quite the Christian, wasn't she?"

"You leave Quinn out of this. She's not a part of this fight. This is about you and me and you not _trusting me_ when I said I loved you."

"Well your words and actions had been unreliable at best prior to that. How was I supposed to know that you weren't just trying to prove to yourself that I loved you more than Jesse? That you were better than him? How did I know that you weren't just going to turn your back on me like you had before? Gosh, Finn! It seemed like every time I let you have a part of me, you took it, kept it for a bit, then decided you were bored with it and threw it away. I gave you my heart and you tossed it away like a broken toy! Forgive me for not trusting that you wouldn't get bored again!"

"Bored?" Finn asked humorlessly. "How could I be bored when you kept changing personalities so often back then? First you were clingy, then you were ignoring me, then you started dating that _douchebag_ from Carmel, then you _lied_ about dating him. Then you lied about having sex with him. And you triple cast the role of your lover in the video for glee club. Yeah, musically promiscuous. Right. You've never been anything but a one man kind of woman."

"Why is that such a bad thing? Why was it so bad to love one person at a time?"

"Because you kept _lying_ about it. You never loved Jesse, Rachel. You know it and I know it. He was simply a tool for you to make me feel jealous. To make yourself feel wanted," he added strongly. "I mean, you think I was bad with Quinn? That was _nothing_ compared to what you put me and Jesse through."

"Oh, the things I put you through? Well, have no fear, Finn Hudson," she said, tears of anger leaking from the corners of her eyes, "I won't be putting you through anything tonight. I think the bedroom is going to be overcrowded, seeing as all of my multiple personalities _and your baby_ all have to be in one room, you might as well sleep on the couch."

"You're kicking me out of my own bedroom? Are you serious?"

"Absolutely. I can't … you're being so completely pigheaded about this whole situation. Maybe San just needs some time …"

"They've been together longer than we have, Rachel! Is it so hard for you to imagine that when a man loves a woman he should tell her?"

"Is it so hard to imagine that she might not be ready to hear it?" Rachel asked. "Not everyone is like you, Finn. Not everyone can just lay their heart on the line hoping that it will all work out."

"Obviously," Finn spat. "I still can't believe you didn't trust me when I told you I loved you."

"I can't believe you're still dwelling on that. I gave you my reasoning and I'm sure Santana has her own. It's not like Noah's ever really been faithful. I'm pretty sure I'm the only girl he's never cheated on," she added, a little too smugly for Finn's liking.

"That's my best friend you're talking about," he said in a warning voice. "He's different now than when we were in high school."

"Clearly," she scoffed as she pulled her hands from her hips and crossed them over her swollen stomach. "Now he shouts curse words _and_ I love yous in the same sentence and thinks that's the way to win over Santana. _Santana_. She's fragile, Finn."

"And he's not? He poured his soul out to her. He's been trying to tell her for _years _and he hadn't because he didn't want to push her. The man just wants love."

"Then maybe someone should give it to him. And clearly _you're_ in touch with your feelings of love and affection and you know _exactly_ how he feels since I didn't tell you _immediately_ that I was in love with you too …"

"Oh my God! Just shut up! I can't – I can't handle this," he told her as he marched to the dresser and pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. "You've lost your mind. I don't know if it's hormones or what, but I just _cannot_ deal with this or you," he added as he grabbed his wallet and left the bedroom.

"And where do you think you're going, Finn Hudson? It's nearing eleven at night."

"I'm going somewhere to _not_ fight. I'm so sick of you thinking you always know what's best for everyone. Damnit, Rachel. You. Do. Not. Know. Everything," he concluded, grabbing his keys form the hook in the foyer and storming out of the house, slamming the door heavily behind him.

Rachel stood there for a moment, staring at the spot he'd just been standing in, tears coursing down her cheeks.

He's _never_ walked out on her before.

"Rachel?" she heard a voice from behind her.

She hastily wiped away her tears and turned back to her friend with a huge, fake smile plastered across her face. "Oh! Santana. I, I, uh, I'm sorry that we were so loud. Didn't mean to wake you."

"Rach," Santana said softly, stepping forward to wipe a tear from her friend's face. "Are you okay?"

Rachel forced another smile and nodded quickly, trying to hold the tears in. "Just fine. Finn wanted a milkshake …"

"I'm not your daughter, Rachel. You don't have to lie to me. I heard everything."

"I'm sorry," Rachel whispered in response. "I didn't mean for you to …"

"Don't you _dare_ apologize to me! You didn't do anything wrong," the Latina insisted. She moved closer and wrapped her arms around her friend. "It's all going to work out."

"I don't know about that, San," Rachel said with a sad shake of her head. "He's never walked out on me before. What if this was it? What if this is the moment I've been waiting for? What if he's realized I'm just too hard to deal with and he doesn't come back?" she cried. "What if I've lost him forever?"

"You haven't," Santana said confidently as she gripped Rachel's biceps and pushed her back a bit. "Just like I know I haven't lost Puck forever."

"How?" the smaller girl asked quietly.

"Because I have no doubt that he loves me. I've known for a while. It's just … if I say it back he has all the power in the world to hurt me. I've been hurt by him before. Hell, he fucked Quinn and any number of other girls since we've been together."

"You weren't exactly faithful either," Rachel reminded her friend gently.

"I know. Because I couldn't allow myself to get angry at him for doing something I was doing as well. Sleeping with random guys was my way of protecting my heart. If nobody, namely Puck, had it, nobody, again, namely Puck, could break it," Santana shrugged.

"He wouldn't," her friend replied. "You know that, right?"

"He's done it before. Like you said … why should I trust that he wouldn't do it again?"

Rachel let out a wet sigh and wrapped her arms around Santana. "We'll make it through this."

"Together," Santana added. "Me and you against the world, right?"

"Yeah," Rachel whispered, knowing that, in her mind, Puck and Finn constituted the world. "We're gonna make it after all."

Santana laughed and Rachel ignored the teary sound of it. "Okay, Mary Tyler Moore. Off to bed. We don't want that baby getting overtired."

Rachel smiled and took Santana's hand. "Thank you for being here."

"Thank you for letting me be here," Santana said softly before pressing her lips to Rachel's cheek. "Go to sleep and we'll worry about them in the morning."

Rachel nodded, whispered good night, and retreated to her room. Santana stood there for a moment, staring at the door, willing her friend's husband to come back in. After about five minutes she shook her head sadly and retreated to the guest room.

-x-

"Women are fucking insane,' Finn said as he let himself into Puck's apartment. He didn't bother to knock for two reasons. One, what was the point of having a key if you couldn't just walk in? And two, he knew his best friend would be so shitfaced he probably wouldn't be able to make it to the door without braining himself on the end table or something.

"No fucking kidding," Puck slurred.

Finn shook his head. "Dude."

"Right?"

"Night," the taller man replied as he made his way to the guest room.

Puck hoisted himself from the couch and retreated to his own room.

They could deal with the rest of the shit in the morning after another beer or two, a Gatorade and some greasy bacon.

..xo..

Dedicated, of course, to all the ladies over on Skype who are endlessly helpful and kind and inspiring. Just know that this story would not be happening without your support and encouragement. And, **tjcrowfoot**, thank you for being the best sounding board ever.


	4. Chapter 4

When the light hit Finn's eyes through the window, he rolled over to snuggle his pregnant wife to him, a small smile stretching across his face.

And then his knuckles slammed into an end table that wasn't supposed to be there and he cursed softly before opening his eyes to find himself in Puck and Santana's spare room.

Fuck. The fight.

Finn groaned loudly as he rolled out of bed. He looked in the mirror and scratched his fingers over his scalp before pulling his pants from last night back on over his boxer shorts and shuffling out into the living room.

And then he heard it.

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?" Puck muttered as he squinted at the box of muffin mix. "How the fuck am I supposed to know if I have medium or fucking large eggs. They're fucking eggs."

"It says it on the carton," Finn responded as he entered the kitchen and headed straight for the coffee pot. "And why the hell are you trying to bake muffins?"

"First, fuck you," Puck said, his back still turned to Finn, eyes fixed on the box. He added another finger and said, "Second, shut the fuck up. Third," another finger, "there's no fucking cereal left and I don't know where I threw my wallet when I came home yesterday. And fourth, the fuck are you doing here?" he concluded, eyes still on the box.

"Uh, Rachel and I had a fight," Finn responded before taking a long gulp of his coffee. "She yelled, I yelled. And I walked out."

"You walked out on her?" Puck asked, finally dropping the box and turning to face his best friend. "Like, _you_ walked out on _her_? For real?"

"Yeah. It was … oddly liberating. She usually walks out on me, you know?"

Puck nodded before bringing his thumb to his mouth and chewing on a hangnail. "Sure. But she's always come back, hasn't she?"

Finn stared at his friend without comprehension. What did that have to do with anything? So what? They had a fight and he _finally_ was the one to walk away. And sure, she usually comes right back after a fight. And sure, they've been fighting more since she was super emotional because of the pregnancy. And sure, they've never spent a night apart after a fight. But …

Oh. _Shit_.

"And there it is …" Puck said with a grand gesture. "If you think she was pissed before, you just wait until you get back there today."

Finn stared at his friend for a moment before opening his mouth. He shut it once and then tried again. And again. He screwed up his face and blurted, "I don't think I'm going back today."

"The fuck do you mean?"

"I mean, Rachel's wrong. And irrational. Plus, Santana's there and those two together scare the shit out of me, to be honest. Especially since Santana's mad at you. Plus Rachel's already had time to get Hadley on her side. I can't … I won't go back. Not right now. Not today."

"Shit, dude," Puck muttered. "Are you serious about this? Because there could be a giant fucking shitstorm coming. Are you _sure_ you want to be on my side?"

"You weren't wrong to fall in love with her. Or to tell her, man. She's the one who's wrong. She should either admit that she loves you and that she wants to be with you or she should …"

"Leave me, right?" Puck asked as he flopped down onto one of the bar stools. "Don't you think I've thought about that every day since I started thinking about telling her?" He exhaled loudly and ran his hand over his face. "I don't think she's coming back, man. I can …" his voice wavered a little. "I can feel it. She … she won't stay with me now that she knows."

"And it's fucking _ridiculous_," Finn bit out. "She _loves_ you, dude. You know it. I know it. Rachel knows it. She's just being chickenshit about the whole thing. You're not wrong." He sighed loudly and dropped down on the stool beside his friend. "You didn't do anything wrong. This is just the beginning of the rest of your life, man. I can _feel_ it."

Puck looked over to Finn and shrugged slightly. "Feels like an end to me."

-x-

When Santana woke up the next morning she could hear Rachel's sobs from behind the closed door of the guest room.

Shit. Finn must not have come home last night.

She quickly reached over and grabbed her phone, pressing a few buttons before she heard the chorus of Kurt's favorite Beyonce ringback tone.

"_What?_" came the panting voice from the other end of the phone.

"Oh my god. Please do _not_ tell me you're having sweaty man sex this early in the morning."

"_Do you really think I would have answered if I was in the middle of something?_"

"Or if something was in the middle of you …" Santana muttered.

"_First, you're as vulgar as your lover. Second, what on earth are you calling for at eight in the morning?_"

"I need you to come pick up Hadley for the day."

"_No._"

"I'm not kidding, Kurt. Rachel and Finn had one helluva fight last night and if the sobs I can hear _from the guest room_ are any indication, he didn't come back. And if I'm on Rachel duty, I need you to take care of Hadley."

"_Santana …_"

"Listen, I know you have a tough time with the whole kid thing. And I know you're afraid of her, for some unknown reason, but this is an emergency. _Please_." She heard him sigh. "Spa day on me. Swear to God."

"_Which spa?_"

"Your choice."

"_Be there in twenty_," he responded before clicking off the phone.

Santana nodded to herself before rolling out of bed and slipping on her sliding and bathrobe. She ran her fingers through her messy hair before opening the door and heading down the hall. She peeked into Hadley's room, smiling slightly when she saw the little girl curled up with her favorite panda bear stuffed animal. At least Rachel hadn't woken her with her tears.

Gathering her strength, she closed Hadley's door as much as she could without the latch kicking in and made her way to Rachel's room.

The door was shut but unlocked, so Santana pushed her way into the room and frowned as she saw her best friend curled on her side, arms wrapped around her stomach, heart-wrenching sobs escaping her trembling body.

"Oh, Rachel," she whispered to herself before padding over to the bed and climbing in behind her friend. She wrapped her arms around Rachel and hugged her back into her body. "Shh. It's okay. I'm here."

"He left me," she sobbed brokenly.

"Shh. Rachel. He'll be back."

"I don't think so," she cried, tears sliding freely down her cheeks, seemingly in a single stream. "He's never walked out before. And he's never not come home."

"He'll be back," Santana repeated. "He loves you."

"I don't think he does anymore," Rachel whispered. "Or he would have at least called."

"He was mad, babe. He'll be back."

"You can't know that."

"He's not as dumb as he looks," the Latina promised. "He'll be back before you know it. He's probably on his way back right now."

Rachel shook her head and sobbed harder. "He left me for good."

Santana silently cursed Finn as she gripped Rachel tighter.

-x-

Two hours and many tears later, Kurt and Hadley sat in the living room of his apartment staring at each other.

"Your hair is weird."

"You dress like your mother."

"My mommy dresses nice."

"I weep for your fashion upbringing."

"I don't know what that means."

"You're definitely your father's daughter," Kurt muttered.

"Duh," Hadley responded. "Who else would be my daddy if it wasn't my daddy?"

"Oh, Santana, you are definitely paying for a long weekend at The Haven."

"Aunt Ana's not here," Hadley replied. "She's at home with mommy cuz she's sad."

"Who's sad?" Kurt asked. "Aunt Ana or Mommy?"

"Both," the little girl sighed out dramatically. "Aunt Ana's sad cuz Uncle Noah loves her. But I don't know why that makes her sad," she shrugged. "I like that Uncle Noah loves _me_."

Kurt smiled.

"And Mommy's sad cuz Daddy didn't come home last night," she said sadly. "I don't know why he went away," she added. "But Mommy's really sad acuz of it. I just wish she would feel better. I don't like it when Mommy's sad."

"I know you don't, kiddo. I don't either."

"Uncle Kurt?" Hadley whispered as she looked up at him through her long lashes.

"Yeah?"

"Can we _do_ something?" she asked.

"Like what?" he asked her.

"Something to make Mommy and Aunt Ana feel better?"

"Sure," Kurt smiled. "Whatever you want."

"Anything?"

"Why not?"

Kurt's eyes widened as he took in the look on the little girl's face. She looked too much like her mother for his comfort.


	5. Chapter 5

Oh, Skype Girls … you know it's dedicated to you anyway. We should call ourselves something. How about "The League of Extraordinary Finchel Writers"? Haha. I'm tired. Here's your post!

..**xo**..

Around four o'clock that afternoon Finn decided he can't stay away forever. He missed his daughter and yes, even though he was frustrated and angry, he missed his wife. And their unborn.

He just wanted to be home with them again.

So he shoved his pride into the pocket of his sweatpants and headed home. He ducked as he walked in the door, fully expecting Rachel to fling something at his head. She's prone to throwing things when she's angry with him and since she hit the beginning of her third trimester, she's been pretty angry most of the time.

Well, angry or horny. He likes the second better than the first but feels it was probably safe to assume the first would be on the menu, not the second.

So imagine his surprise when he found the house empty.

No Rachel. No Hadley. No Santana.

He ran to their bedroom, heart thumping wildly, scared to death that she packed up her things and left him.

He let out a breath he was unaware he was holding when he saw her bathrobe hanging on the back of the door in their en suite bathroom and her shoes lined neatly at the bottom of their closet.

He moved down the hall to Hadley's room and saw that all of her things were still there as well.

_Thank God_.

But then the fear gripped him again. If they weren't home, where were they? The sink was clear and the washer and dryer were empty so he had to assume she wouldn't be back any time soon.

He plopped himself down on the couch and placed his head in his hands. He knew he should have come home earlier. He knew almost immediately after telling Puck he _wasn't_ coming home that he needed to leave and get here as soon as possible.

But, of course, he hadn't. He'd talked with Puck about the situation they'd found themselves in (shut up, dude can talk about that stuff) and then started playing Mario Kart.

Time kind of slipped away after that.

He wished he had better advice to give his best friend. He wished that stupid fight never happened. He wished he'd just kept his big mouth shut.

But most of all, he wished he knew where his girls were.

-x-

Two hours later he was still sitting on the couch, lights and television off, head in his hands. He heard the door open and snapped his head up in time to see his little girl hurtling towards him as fast as her little legs would carry her.

"Daddy!" she screeched as he caught her. "I missed you _so much_!" she exclaimed as she peppered kisses all over his face. "Did you miss me?"

"You bet I did, baby. Is Momma with you?" he asked as he cuddled her close.

"Nope," Hadley said shaking her head dejectedly. "Momma and Aunt Ana are gone."

"What do you mean gone, baby?" he asked, panic lacing his voice.

"They went to Dayton for the night. San needed to pick up something for the bar and we both thought Rachel could use some time away," Kurt said as he walked into the room.

"So they left Hadley with you?" Finn asked eyebrows arched, clearly unable to process why his daughter was with his step-brother.

"First, I am her uncle," Kurt said and chose to ignore Hadley's little giggle. "Second, Quinn was working all day and Sam went to finish up that job on the other side of town and I guess Santana thought that him using gardening tools and watching a four year old …"

"Four and one-quarter!' Hadley shrieked indignantly.

"Fine, a four _and one-quarter_ year old, wouldn't exactly bode well for the health of either. So I am now going to take her over to Dad and Carole's for the night," Kurt concluded.

"Well, I'm home now. She doesn't need to go over there." He paused and eyed his brother. "How is she?"

"Rachel?" Kurt asked in a deliberately obtuse voice.

"Don't screw around with me, Hummel," Finn said warningly. "Answer my question."

"Hey, Munchkin, go play in your room, okay?" he directed at Hadley.

She nodded and pressed a kiss to Finn's cheek before hopping down and running to Kurt, hugging his legs and then taking off for her room.

Once she was gone Kurt continued, "She's a complete mess you idiot. You didn't call, didn't text, didn't e-mail and didn't come home. Santana told me it took her an hour to get Rachel to stop sobbing and crying that you were leaving her for good this morning. So, my dear brother, you stepped in it so bad this time I don't have any idea how you're going to make it up to her."

"This whole situation isn't entirely my fault, you know," Finn responded as he stood. "She's just as guilty as I am. That fight …"

"Should never have happened. You two need to mind your own business when it comes to Puck and Santana. They've got this whole functioning-through-dysfunction thing going on and it _works_ for them," Kurt replied hotly. "It's not your place not is it Rachel's to get in the middle of it. Let _them_ work it out. They've managed fine for years, Finn."

"But …"

"No buts, Finn. Seriously. When Rachel gets home tomorrow morning, you're going to apologize, tell her you were wrong, and beg for her forgiveness."

"She knows when I'm lying, Kurt. So I can't tell her I was wrong because she'll know I don't mean that. Because I don't think it was wrong for siding with Puck on this. He told her how he felt. There's nothing wrong with that."

"First, neither of us were there when the fight went down so neither of us can comment on how things happened. Rachel saw it. She must have a reason for thinking Santana is correct and not Puck," Kurt replied.

"Yeah. She does. Because she waited five months to tell me because she was afraid I would leave her. She's punishing Puck because he's not afraid to tell San that he loves her. I swear, dude …"

There was a knock on the door and Finn's brows pinched together, wondering who it could be. Rachel and Santana were gone (_only for the night_, he reminded himself), Kurt was with him, Puck doesn't have enough manners to knock …

He pulled open the door to see Quinn and Sam standing there. "What's up?"

"Dude, why the hell isn't your phone on?" Sam asked in a panic as he pushed into the Hudson home, Quinn following behind him quickly.

"Shit. Must not have turned it on since last night," Finn said as he pulled it from his pocket and fired it up.

Quinn quickly snatched it from his hands. "You don't want to do that. Just grab your wallet and get in the car," she told him before nodding at Sam to go collect Hadley.

"What the hell happened?" he asked, eyes wide and voice shaky.

"It's Rachel and Santana," she said softly. "We're going to get Noah next."

-x-

"Santana, this is a very, _very_ bad idea," Rachel said as she and her friend stepped into the bar which had a large banner proclaiming it to be "Bike Night". "I don't think this is what Kurt meant for us to do when he said we should stay here and have a night on the town. I have to teach Monday morning and I haven't been able to stay up very late and the baby's been kicking _really_ hard lately …"

"Calm the fuck down, Hudson," Santana said as she rolled her eyes. "It's not like they're going to hurt a pregnant chick. And I'm pretty sure I could take any of these guys in here."

"Second hand smoke …"

"Isn't a problem because of the smoking ban. Jesus, Rachel. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I …"

"_Please_ tell me this isn't about …"

"It's not!" she denied quickly. "I just … you know, I'm pregnant," her hands went to her stomach. "I shouldn't be near alcohol."

"You can't get drunk by hanging around drunks," Santana said as she grabbed Rachel's hand and pulled her to the bar. "I'll take a Jack on the rocks and get a Shirley Temple for preggo over here," she added to the burly bartender.

"I'd actually just like a water, please," Rachel corrected politely.

And the bar went silent.

-x-

"Q," Puck said from the backseat where he sat with Finn and Kurt, the former trying to dial Rachel's cell phone over and over again, "just fucking tell us what's going on. What the fuck happened to Rachel and San?"

She turned form her spot in the passenger seat and glared at him. "You should know that this is completely your fault. If you hadn't screamed at her, none of this would have happened."

"What the fuck even _did_ happen?" he yelled at her.

"Guys, c'mon," Sam said, his hands gripping the wheel of his Explorer. "We've got another thirty minutes to go before we get there. Could we _not_ fight?"

"Could you just fucking tell us what the fuck is happening right now and why the fuck the girls even fucking went to fucking Dayton and didn't come the fuck home fucking tonight?" Puck cursed as loudly as possible without actually yelling.

"You're _so_ lucky we dropped Hadley off at Carole and Burt's," Quinn said seriously. "That's, like, five hundred dollars in the swear jar."

Finn continued to hit the send button on his phone, his frustration growing more and more with each time it rang once and cut straight to Rachel's voicemail. "Baby, it's me. Please pick up. Even if it's to tell me to fuck off. Please. I love you and I'm really worried. Quinn and Sam won't tell us what's happened and I can't … please be okay. Please send me a text or call me or something. _Anything_. I love you. I love you so much, Rachel. Please. Please just let me know you're okay." He wiped the tear that fell unwanted from his eye. "Please, baby. Please let me know you're okay," he whispered the last line before hanging up.

Puck stared at his best friend for a moment before dialing Santana's phone. Hers went to voicemail as well. "Uh. Yeah. So. Uh. You know who this is. Because you have caller ID. And I'm guessing you're not picking up because of that. But Finn's losing his shit over here and I'm not completely … unaffected … either. So pick up the fucking phone and tell us what the fuck is going on. Or at least fucking call Q and tell her it's okay for her to tell us what the fuck is happening! God, you're fucking frustrating! When the fuck did you become the fucking drama queen?" he yelled into the phone. "Jesus! Just …" he blew out a heavy breath. "I know I fucked us up, okay? I know I did. But this isn't fucking funny, San. Not even a little bit. So answer your fucking phone."

As soon as Puck flipped his phone shut, Kurt turned to him with a sour look on his face. "I don't know how you kept her for this long but you, Noah Puckerman, are shit with words."

"First, fuck off. Second, who the fuck asked you. And third, shut the fuck up. I don't care if she doesn't love me back right now. I just … she needs to be okay. She can fucking dump my no-good as soon as we get to _wherever the fuck we're going_," he directed that last part to Sam and Quinn, "and I can see for myself she didn't get hurt or dead or something."

"We're almost there," Sam said just before his GPS's crazy accented woman said "Four miles to destination."

"Where are we going?" Finn asked again as he shot another text off to Rachel's cell phone.

"JW's," Quinn said.

"You're gonna need to fuckin' repeat that," Puck said as Finn's head snapped up next to him and Kurt's eyes went wide.

"Judging by your reaction," Sam said, "I don't think she is."

"I'm going to fucking _kill_ her when I get my hands on her."

"Please tell me that JW's is not the place I'm thinking it is," Finn said, a small tremor in his voice. "Please tell me my wife isn't in the _one bar_ in Dayton that houses the highest bar fight rate in the whole freaking state. Please, Sam. Please tell me it's a different place.

"It's not," Sam said as he pulled onto the street JW's was on.

And there were about five police cars, lights flashing, parked out front.

-x-

These guys weren't so bad once you got to know them.

Not that she cared to know any of them, as most of them were very large, very bald men with more tattoos than the population of Lima covering their large bodies.

"So, what has a pretty, little pregnant lady like you walking into a bar like this?" Bubba (no lie) said as he leaned against the bar and offered her a slightly-less-creepy-than-Reggie's smile.

"Her," Rachel nodded to Santana, who was playing pool with Bart. "We needed to go out tonight and she decided that this … establishment … would suit our needs just fine."

"I can suit your needs," he told her, his eyebrows waggling.

"While I don't doubt that you're very … suitable … I doubt my husband," she said as she lifted her left hand to show off her ring, "would be very understanding."

"Baby daddy don't need to know," he said as he stepped closer to her.

She was about to retort when she heard it.

Thanks to her friendship with Noah and Santana, she knew exactly what a shattering beer bottle sounded like. She turned her head quickly to see Santana grabbing another bottle and tossing it at Bart.

"Listen you skeezy, dirty, backwoods, nasty redneck!" she yelled. (This is the point where Rachel texted Quinn and told her she would need some serious backup.) "I _have_ a man. And he could take you out faster than I could but he's not here and I have no problem taking care of my own business. So if you wanna go, let's go. I can kick your ass from her to next Monday."

"Excuse me," Rachel said as she slipped from her stool to head over to the pool table. "San," she said as she reached her friend. "Maybe we should just go."

"Screw that, Hudson. He just copped a feel."

"Are you that surprised?"

"It wasn't my ass or my tits, Rachel," Santana told her, the Latina's eyes dark and angry.

"You mean he grabbed your …" she said as her eyes wandered down to the zipper of Santana's jeans.

"You bet he did," Santana snarled as she turned back to where Bart was high-fiving some of his buddies. "And now Imma take his ass down."

"San!" Rachel hissed as she grabbed her friend's arm to keep her from attacking the man. "Don't. You're going to get arrested."

"They won't call the fuckin' cops, Hudson," Santana said as she rolled her eyes. "I bet half of these fuckers have warrants out. They'll love the show. Promise."

"Santana, _please_ don't do this. This is me begging. For my sake and your own, don't do it."

"Fine," Santana sighed out after she watched Rachel's eyes tearing up. She knew that if she fought this idiot that Rachel would be caught in the middle of it and she didn't want anything happening to her friend or the baby. So she shook her head and moved back to the bar. "C'mon."

Rachel smiled and turned to follow Santana when she felt a hand on her rear. She turned around and saw Bart standing there with a smug smile on his face. Before she knew what she was doing, she brought her hand back and slapped him harder than she slapped Finn the day she found out Quinn was pregnant.

Apparently, she needed to take her own advice and walk away.

She immediately cried out, "I'm sorry!" but Bart grabbed her by the arm.

Then Bubba grabbed him by the arm and shoved him away, yelling that no real man treats a lady that way, especially not a pregnant one.

And then the situation escalated.

Gerry the bartender quickly called the police and pulled Rachel and Santana behind the bar.

Within moments, Dayton's finest were there and there were shouts and handcuffs and more police and all Rachel really wanted was her husband.

Santana wanted in on the action but knew she couldn't leave Rachel alone and in the state she was in.

And then the lights were thrown on and the music cut off and Rachel and Santana were removed from behind the bar and there were two female police officers questioning them.

And that's when Finn and Puck burst through the door.

"Rachel!" Finn called as he bobbed and weaved through police and patrons alike. "Rachel? Where are you, baby?"

"Finn?" she called as she hopped off her barstool, ignoring the officer's stern "Ma'am!"

"Rachel?" he called again, stopping dead in the middle of the room and turning in circles until he saw her. And then he ran to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Oh, baby. Thank God. Are you okay? What happened?" He hands skimmed over her unblemished skin, rested on her protruding stomach, then moved to cup her cheeks. "Are you okay?"

"The fuck happened?" Puck asked as he sidled up beside Finn and looked to where Santana was walking towards them.

"I got lecture about not starting a bar fight then Rachel goes ahead and does it herself." She turned to Rachel with a little scowl. "I'm kinda pissed at you for doing that, by the way. You could have been hurt."

"But I didn't mean to!" Rachel said, her eyes locking on Finn's. "I promise. It was instinct."

"Baby, just tell me what happened," he said as he hugged her close, neither caring that their fight technically hadn't been resolved.

"Well, I was at the bar drinking water and San was playing pool with Bart and then she threw a bottle at him because he grabbed her crotch and then I convinced her not to fight him and then he grabbed my behind and I slapped him. But I said I was sorry!"

"Wait," Puck said, his brow furrowed. "Some douche bag grabbed your crotch?" he asked Santana.

"Yeah," she said, mind going back to the moment and how angry she was. "And I could have kicked his ass if Rach hadn't stopped me."

"Which one?"

"That one," Rachel said without thinking as she pointed to Bart, who was standing, handcuffed between two police officers.

No one was fast enough to stop Puck from marching over, shouting, "Keep your fucking hands off my woman!", and getting a punch of his own in.

And that was how Puck ended up being arrested on a Saturday night in Dayton.


	6. Chapter 6

"They've been in there for a while," Sam said to his wife, finally breaking the ten minute silence that had fallen on the space in the car. "Should we do something? I mean, should we go in there or something?"

"And risk getting caught in the middle of whatever it is Rachel and Santana got themselves into? No way. I'm thinking we leave and head back to Lima. They all need to work out their problems and the only way they're going to do that is if forced," Quinn replied, her eyes narrowing at the door to the bar they were parked in front of.

"That's kinda cold, babe," Sam laughed out. "Who's to say Rachel and Santana won't leave the guys here?"

"And who's to say they won't make up?" she asked smartly in return. At his skeptical look, she put on the one smile she _knew_ he was never able to resist and reached a hand over to rub up and down his thigh. "Besides, it would give us a night free of all the drama going on. No Finn or Puck showing up to sleep on the couch; no Rachel and Santana wanting a girls' night in. Just you, me, some candles …" she trailed off, her fingernail tracing an obscure patter high on his thigh. "And I'll give you a behind the scenes look at what Victoria's Secret really is."

Sam stared at his wife for a moment before gulping and throwing the truck into _drive_.

He silently apologized to Puck and Finn as he drove away as fast as possible considering the number of police cars that were in the area.

-x-

"I'll catch a ride with Sam, Kurt and Quinn over to the station," Finn said as he gripped Rachel's hand tightly as they exited the bar shortly after Puck had been carted off in a police cruiser. "I'll explain everything to them and we can meet you over there."

"But …" Rachel whined, her hand tightening its hold on his. "But I don't … we …"

"I know, baby," Finn said as he turned to face her. "You and me? We'll talk this out after we get the idiot out of jail. But we're going to be fine." He paused to brush some hair back from her face and tuck it behind her ear. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she replied as she lifted up onto her toes and pressed her lips against his. "You're my hero for coming out here tonight," she continued with another kiss. "But I'm still mad at you."

Finn sighed and shut his eyes, his chin falling down to knock against his chest. "Figured as much."

Her eyes scanned the road and saw nothing but the two remaining police cars. "Did Sam and Quinn go to park somewhere to wait for you?" she asked with an arched brow.

"Nah," he responded as his eyes swiveled around, his eyes traveling the street quickly. "They're right …" His eyes fell on the empty space where he _knew_ Sam had stopped his truck. He was about to wonder aloud where on earth they could have gone when his phone buzzed in his pocket.

_Sorry, dude. Q promised to make it worth my while. Good luck, man._

"That stupid fuck," Finn muttered.

"What's wrong now?" Santana asked as she joined the Hudsons and handed Rachel her purse.

"Sam and Quinn took off. He betrayed me and Puck for a booty call."

"Don't even pretend you haven't done the same thing on more than one occasion," Rachel pointed out.

"Never when someone was in _jail_," Finn stressed.

Santana took that moment to appear at their sides. "Well, there's no use just …"

"Ma'am?" a voice called over Santana's shoulder.

"One minute," she said without turning around. "There's no use dicking around …"

"Excuse me, Miss Lopez?" 

"I said in a minute," she responded, her back still to the other person. "We need to go …"

"Santana Lopez?" the young man insisted.

"What?" Santana asked sharply as she turned around to come face to face with some rookie officer. "Listen, Gomer. I'm trying to have a grown-up conversation with my adult friends. Go sit on the curb and I'll be with you in a few minutes." She rolled her eyes and turned back to Finn and Rachel. She was about to continue with their conversation when she felt her hands being pulled behind her back. "…the fuck?"

"Santana Lopez, you're under arrest," the young man stated as he cuffed Santana.

"What the fuck for?" she asked as she struggled to get away from her arresting officer.

"Well, why don't we start with resisting arrest and see what else we can come up with?" the young officer smiled as he turned the struggling Latina towards his squad car. "Ma'am. Sir," he added to Rachel and Finn with a genial smile as he walked away with a cussing and wriggling Santana in his custody.

And that was how Santana Lopez was arrested on a Saturday night in Dayton.

-x-

Thirty seven minutes later, Santana had been booked for Public Intoxication and Resisting Arrest and thrown into a holding cell.

"I'm nowhere near fucking drunk!" she shouted to anyone who would listen to her. "I'd have a hell of a lot less clothes on if I was drunk!"

"I can attest to that," a voice mumbled behind her.

When she turned she saw that she and Puck were in the same holding cell. And they were the _only_ ones in this particular cell. "You've _got_ to be fucking kidding me."

"Cool your shit, Lopez. I promise I won't fucking talk to you. Jesus. You think I fucking _asked_ for your ass to be thrown in here with me? They must have _known_ I'd try to fucking off myself with just you in here to keep me company until Sam and Q get here to bail me the fuck out."

"Newsflash, tough guy. Sam and Quinn took the fuck off and left you and Finn hangin'. Someone's gettin' laid right now while you're rotting away in jail. Again," she added snarkily as she dropped onto a bench and crossed her arms.

"Newsflash yourself, princess. Your ass is in here too," he shot back.

"What happened to you not talking to me?" she asked through her teeth, her back to him.

"You're the one who won't shut the fuck up," he spat.

"What are you in second grade?" she asked with a sneer as she swiveled to face him. "You're going with the _she started it_ defense?"

"Speaking of defenses, at least now if they actually let you become a lawyer with your newly-minted criminal background you'll be able to commiserate with your undoubtedly high-paying clients because you've been there."

"God. You're such a fucking dick."

"Kinda makes you wonder why you've stayed with me for this long," Puck mused as he reclined back against the wall.

"Shut up. We're not talking about it."

"Fine with me," Puck shrugged. "But that's really the only thing I'm willing to talk about right now. So if we're not going to talk about yesterday's shit fest, then you can shut the fuck up and not say another damn word to me." And then he closed his eyes.

The motherfucker. Closed. His. Eyes.

Santana was ready to scream.

Where the fuck were Finn and Rachel and the bail money for her?

-x-

As soon as the door to the hotel room was closed, Finn pressed Rachel (gently) against the wall and brought his lips back to hers.

Thirty two hours was _way_ too long for him to have not felt his wife's lips against his.

"Finn," Rachel panted out as his lips moved down her neck. "Finn, we need to go bail out Santana and Puck."

"Later," he promised as his fingers began to unbutton her cardigan. "I've missed you."

"I'm still mad at you," she protested weakly.

"I know, baby," he whispered against her collar bone. "I know you are and I know you think I deserve it. But right now, I need you and I know you need me. I can see it in your eyes. So let's just, I don't know, pause for a minute. Or an hour. However long. Because I missed you and I need you and I love you."

"Okay," she breathed out as her fingers moved to the bottom of his shirt to pull it over his head. "But as soon as we're done we're getting dressed and I'm going to be mad at you again."

"Deal," Finn responded as he lifted his wife into his arms and moved as quickly as possible towards the bed.

-x-

This was probably one of the most embarrassing things that had ever happened to him.

Sam and Quinn hadn't even made it to Huber Heights before they had to pull off and find a Holiday Inn Express.

Which is how Kurt found himself in a tacky hotel bar called Zazz, a dirty martini in his hand and crappy, drunken karaoke as his current soundtrack.

If he didn't need a ride back to Lima so badly he would _so_ not be there.

He brought his glass up to his lips as his eyes surveyed the room.

Straight. Straight. Taken. Straight. Creepy. Old.

… Hello, gorgeous.

_That_ he could work with.

He slowly slid from his stool and made his way over to Tall, Dark and Handsome. The man had his back to him and it was all Kurt could do to keep himself from "Pulling a Puckerman" and whistling like some dog in heat.

He tried a million different lines in his head ranging from offensively bad ("Are you pants made of mirrors because I can totally see myself in them") to downright awful ("Are you from Tennessee? Because you're the only ten I see!") and he dismissed them right off the bat.

He was about to surrender to the gods of poor social skills when Tall, Dark and Handsome turned around.

"Well, as I live and breathe. If it isn't Kurt Hummel."

"Holy shit," Kurt muttered to himself, eyes wide. "Jesse. Jesse St. James."

-x-

As soon as Finn helped Rachel finish dressing, she crossed her arms and glared at him. "Time in."

Finn sighed and hung his head. "Rach, baby, I know you're angry with me for taking Puck's side and I know you're angry at my reasoning and … I just know, okay? But I don't think he was wrong for telling her."

"It's not that he told her, Finn," she said as calmly as she could. "It was that he knew she wasn't ready for it and he _shouted_ it at her."

"She wasn't listening to him."

"Is that what you think?" she asked him softly, her brow furrowing. "That he was trying to tell her that he loved her and she was, what, dismissing him? Talking over him?" She shook her head. "That's not what happened at all. I don't know how it started," she continued, "but I know that it somehow escalated into Noah yelling at her that they were in a relationship and her admitting that she _did_ want a family with him … _eventually_ … and him screaming at her that he loved her and he wanted to marry her. She was already so keyed up and then that? He knew what it would do to her, Finn. She's just … she's scared," she said softly. "She doesn't know what to do with the intense feelings she's having and, you know, Noah's always said he was never getting married. She didn't want to tell him that she wanted that with him and then have him bolt. Because, let's face it, Finn, we both know that if it wasn't on his terms, that would've been a completely real situation."

Finn stared at his wife for a long moment, completely shocked at what she had told him. Sure, he and Puck never really talked about what had happened, but Puck made it seem like Santana just wouldn't listen. And maybe that's the way his best friend _felt_ about the whole thing, but Rachel was an outside observer. She had _seen_ what went down and wasn't one of the two people truly involved.

"I just … I thought it was her being stubborn," he admitted softly.

"Part of it was," she responded in the same tone. She reached up and pressed her palm gently against his cheek. "She's not completely innocent in this whole mess either. But he scared her yesterday and she lashed out. Like she always does. She told me …" she took a deep breath. "I cannot believe I'm about to betray the Sisterhood," she muttered to herself. She took a deep breath and looked back into her husband's eyes. "She told me she knew he loved her for a while and she knew she's in love with him but she was afraid to tell him because …" she took another deep breath, tears in her eyes and said, "because it would give him the power to hurt her. And you know San. She always does anything and everything possible not to get hurt. She said if she didn't give him her heart he couldn't break it."

"But if she doesn't give it to him he can't protect it either," Finn responded as the back of his fingers ghosted over her cheek.

"I know," she nodded as a tear slid down her cheek. "I just want them to be happy."

"I know, baby," he responded. "So do I." He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

A few minutes of silence passed before he whispered, "Is the fight over now?"

She giggled wetly and nodded. "Yes, Finn. The fight is over now."

.**xo**.

Dedicated especially to **tjcrowfoot** and **egyouppt**. I know you're both having a rough time but know that I love you and am here for you no matter what. You're amazing friends and, honestly, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be writing. –hugs. kisses. pds. (and yes, that stands for exactly what you think it does.)-

**"The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground. " **_**~ Unknown **_

You're both nuts but I'm completely certain that when all is said and done, you'll be great oaks. And Cory and I will have picnics in your shade. (Too much?)


	7. Chapter 7

"I don't know what you expect me to say," Santana said with a heavy scowl after about ten minutes of silence. "I'm not sorry."

"Right," Puck scoffed. "I wouldn't expect you to be. You never were one for remorse. I seem to recall you telling Rachel to _get over herself_ after she found out you took Finn's V Card."

"Took?" she asked with a wry laugh. "You think I _took_ it from him? Damn, Puck," she shook her head, another laugh escaping, "I didn't _take_ anything. He was more than happy to give it up to me. Just like you were."

"I …"

"And don't bother trying to deny it. We both know that I was your first."

"What about it?" he asked roughly. "It's not like you had any experience either. I was your first too."

She stared at him for a moment, jaw clenched and teeth grinding. She counted to ten in her head. Then twenty. Then thirty. "Shut the fuck up!" she exploded. "God, Puckerman, what the fuck is wrong with you? Wrong with us? Why the fuck can't we stop fucking fighting over the most ridiculous fucking things?"

"Was there ever a time when we _didn't_ fight over something important? I mean, think back, San. Really fucking think about it. Because it seems to me like every time we have to have an 'adult conversation'," he told her, his voice raising to sound as much like Rachel's as it could, "we start fighting about some pretty unimportant shit. Like, you know, us having our first times together."

"That's important!" she replied loudly. "A girl remembers her …"

"God!" Puck screamed as he stood and gripped the sides of his head. "This is exactly what I mean! We don't need to be talking about what happened ten years ago! We need to be talking about what happened two days ago. We need to talk about why."

"Why what?" she replied scathingly.

"Why you're too afraid to admit that you love me," he said softly as he sat back down in his seat.

Santana turned her head to stare out the bars of the cell.

-x-

"So what exactly are you doing in a Holiday Express outside of Dayton?" Kurt asked as he and Jesse slid into opposite sides of a booth in a not-as-tasteless bar down the road from the hotel.

"I could ask you the same thing," Jesse replied with a smile as he took a sip of his gin and tonic.

"I," Kurt said as he directed a finger at himself, "was forgotten in the back seat of Sam and Quinn's car when she decided to seduce her husband into leaving Rachel, Finn, Santana and Puck at some seedy biker bar in Dayton." Kurt took a sip of his martini and looked back to his drinking companion. "So? Dish."

"It's nothing," Jesse said with his ever-present charming smile. "I'm working on a little Off-Broadway number and the show is getting ready to launch a tour. We're going to a few obscure places first, just to get the average man's opinion. Once we get statistics to show what we already know – that the show is _spectacular_, of course – then we'll launch the nation-wide and possibly world-wide tour! It's all very exciting."

Kurt stared at Jesse, a bored expression on his face. He rolled his eyes, took another sip of his drink and exhaled. "And the truth?"

Jesse blinked before downing the rest of his drink in one fell swoop and holding the glass up to attract the attention of their waitress. "It's a long story."

"I got time," Kurt said sassily as he took another sip.

"Well, I went to the University of California at Los Angeles …"

"You can call it UCLA. I think we all get it," Kurt interjected.

Jesse shot him a look and continued, "As you know, it's in Los Angeles. Which is an excellent town for someone trying to break into the business. Show business, I mean."

"Yeah," Kurt said deadpan. "I know what you mean."

"So. There I was. In Los Angeles. I was at school, of course, on a full scholarship. Did I mention that before?" When Kurt didn't answer, Jesse plowed on. "So I was singing and acting and dancing … I'm a triple threat. I don't know if you knew that. But, as I was saying, I was taking dance and acting and vocal classes and lessons but I was also going on auditions. Those are …"

"Yes, Jesse. I know what auditions are. You don't need to explain it to me," Kurt bit out, wondering exactly why he had asked Jesse to tell his story.

"Right," Jesse nodded. "So, of course, I get a callback for _Chicago_. I'd auditioned for the role of Billy Flynn. The male lead, of course. But the callback was for Amos. _Amos_! It was like the proverbial slap in the face. Amos is dumpy and weak and not interesting at all. Only a sub-par actor would settle for the role of Amos. He was …"

"I know who Amos Hart is, Jesse. I was actually in a production of _Chicago_ when I was younger."

"Which role did you play?" the dark-haired man asked with a wide grin.

"Amos," Kurt said flatly. "It was my favorite role I've ever had."

Jesse stared at his for a moment before quickly downing his new drink and holding the glass in the air. "Waitress!"

-x-

"This is nice," Rachel said as she lounged in front of her husband in the large Jacuzzi style tub in the bathroom of the hotel room she and Santana were meant to stay in that night. "I'm glad we decided on a bath. It's been really stressful without you. I missed you," she added softly.

"I missed you too, babe," he replied in the same tone as he bent forward to press his lips to her bare shoulder. His hands skimmed over her skin to rest on her protruding stomach. "Only a few weeks left. Then we get to meet our little boy or little girl."

"Which do you want?" she asked as her hands moved over his, toying with his fingers. "A boy or a girl?"

"Either. Both. Seven of each," he told her seriously, his lips moving to press against the back of her head. "So long as the baby comes out healthy I don't care which we get. Because we're not stopping after this one."

"We're not?" Rachel asked with a smirk, trapping his hands against her stomach as the baby let off a series of powerful kicks.

"Nope," he responded quickly. "Big family. _Huge_. Like, think _Brady Bunch_ plus _Boy Meets World_."

She scrunched her brow together before her eyes widened. "Finn! That's ten children!" she laughed.

"Yeah. Ten Little Rachels," he replied with a smile.

"Or a healthy mix of Little Finns and Little Rachels," she replied.

"So long as they're mine and yours, we can keep going until mother nature makes us stop."

She smiled before twisting her body slightly to catch his lips in a gentle kiss. "Finn?"

"Mmm?" he asked as he pressed his lips back to hers.

"If you want ten children, you're going to have to figure out a way to guarantee a couple sets of twins. Because I don't think I'll be able to do this eight more times."

He smiled and pressed his lips to hers again. "I'll do some research."

Rachel snorted inelegantly before turning back around and melting into her husband's embrace once again. "This tub is lovely," she sighed out as Finn's hands started gently rubbing the taut skin of her stomach again. "San would love it."

They both froze and then simultaneously shouted, "Oh no!"

"Santana!" Rachel cried as she tried to shift.

"Puck!" Finn shouted in response as he stood.

"Help me up," she demanded of her husband.

Finn helped her and then wrapped a towel around her. "I can't believe we forgot them!"

-x-

"Where the fuck are they?" Puck muttered to himself for the fiftieth time as he paced the small holding cell. "Shouldn't be taking them this fucking long to get here and bail us out."

"Maybe they only have enough money for one of us," Santana replied as she inspected her nails. "And Rachel's trying to figure out a way to make Finn think it was _his_ idea to leave your ass to rot in here."

He stopped and turned to look at her. She was acting nonchalant but he could still tell she was rattled from their earlier conversation.

"You know, I wish I'd never said anything," Puck said after a few minutes of silence. "I wish I would have kept my mouth shut. Then there would have been no fight. No trip to Dayton. No bar fight. And no jail. We'd be fine."

"It's …" she sighed, frustrated. "It's not …" She stomped her foot and growled.

"Okay, Rachel," he said sarcastically. "I'll just let your crazy ass figure out what the fuck you wanna say to me. I'll be over here … on the sane side of the room."

"You know," she ground out. "You always make it seem like I'm the one deflecting our conversations. But every time I fucking try to say something you call me crazy and walk away. What the fuck is that about?"

"It's about giving you your _space_ or whateverthefuck you chicks always bitch about. If your head explodes I don't wanna be in the splatter zone."

"I'll show you a fucking explosion, Puckerman," she bit out as she advanced on him.

"I forgot you were an exhibitionist," he smirked. "Wanna give the boys a show?" he teased snarkily.

"Fuck you," she spat as she moved closer.

"That's the general idea, babe."

She lunged for him and, though he would never admit it, he winced and braced himself for a punch or slap or a knee to his junk.

Instead, her lips pressed feverishly against his and her arms wound around his neck.

He opened his mouth to try and take a breath but found the passage was blocked by his girlfriend's tongue. _Fuck it_, he thought as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against him. He ground himself against her and internally smirked at her moan.

They broke apart and gulped in quick breaths. Their eyes connected and they instantly tightened their arms around the other again.

Puck, needing even closer contact, lifted Santana and spun them so she was pressed against the wall of the cell and he was between her legs, his hips thrusting automatically into hers. His hands moved on autopilot and started to unbutton her top.

Just as he got to the last one, a loud clang started both of them. They looked over Pucks shoulder to see the young officer who had arrested Santana scowling at them.

"This wasn't part of our deal, Puckerman," the young man stated.

Puck removed his hands from his girlfriend's waist so quickly that they blurred in the officer's vision. Just as quickly, they moved to cup his privates as he slowly backed away. _Shit. Fuck. Shit. I'm so fucking dead_.

The officer smirked and walked away, whistling all the while.

"Deal?" Santana asked lowly.

_Fuck_.

"You made a deal with a cop to get me fucking arrested?" she asked, her voice raised slightly.

_Fuck me._

"You sneaky bastard," she smiled with a shake of her head. "Get the fuck over here."

"Uhh …"

She grunted in frustration and hurled herself at him, arms wrapping around his neck once more, lips crashing violently against his.

Puck froze for a moment before realizing that she wasn't kicking his ass. He figured his business was safe so he gripped her hips and kissed her back.

"You really do love me," she whispered as she pulled back from him.

"The fuck you think I've been trying to tell you, woman?" he asked with a playful growl. "You never fucking listen." Before she could respond, he pressed his lips to hers again.

He didn't need to hear her say the words in that moment. Her acknowledgement of his feelings were more than enough.

For now.


	8. Chapter 8

"I still can't believe you fucking forgot us in jail," Puck groused once more as he rode in the back seat with Santana on the way back to Lima. "You guys suck so bad."

"Oh grow up, Noah," Rachel sighed in response. "We came for you, you're out, no one is pressing charges. I'd consider it a successful evening."

"Of course you would," he sniped back. "You got laid. You made up with your husband."

"Puck. Seriously. I don't think you got too bad of a deal out of the extra thirty minutes," Santana interjected before he and Rachel could get into another of their typical fights. "I mean, you and I made up," she added.

"This is true," he smirked before sliding closer to Santana and slipping his arm around her. He winked at Rachel through the rearview mirror before pressing his lips to Santana's neck.

"They're making out, aren't they?" Finn asked, eyes glued on the road.

"Yeah," Rachel said as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Do you have to go to the bathroom again?" her husband asked. She had been doing that every once in a while since leaving Dayton.

"No," she grunted out as she shifted again. "Baby's just wiggling a lot."

"Hads was like that too," Finn commented. "Right before you …" he trailed off as his eyes went wide. "Rach?"

"Keep driving, Finn," she told him thickly.

"Rachel."

"Please, Finn. I need to get back to Lima. Now."

"The fuck is wrong with you?" Puck asked as he and Santana came up for air. "You look sick."

"Nothing,' Rachel told him as she clenched her teeth and her hands flew to her stomach and a small whimper escaped her lips.

"Oh my God," Santana said as she straightened herself out. "Are you in fucking _labor_?"

"What the _fuck_?" Puck screeched as he pulled his legs up onto the back seat.

-x-

Kurt groaned as he rolled over and tried to grab his alarm clock and came up with something completely different.

"Why are you grabbing my nose?" Jesse groaned as he swatted Kurt's hand away.

Kurt shrieked, grabbed the blanket and fell out of bed.

-x-

"Mmm," Quinn smiled as she snuggled closer to her husband. "I'm really glad we decided not to go back to Lima last night."

"Me too," Sam said as his lips ran gently across his wife's bare shoulders.

"I wonder what happened to them," Quinn said absently as she turned in her husband's arms and shifted so she could press her lips to his. "I would have thought for sure Santana would have called to bitch us out or …"

"Baby," he whispered as he rolled them so he was hovering over her, "if you're thinking of Santana and the rest of them, clearly I didn't do my job right."

"Well, you know what they say," she giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Practice makes perfect."

"Little minx," he growled before lowering himself to press a hot kiss against his wife's smiling lips.

"Say my name," she giggled again as he attached her slender neck with his tongue and teeth.

"No time," Sam said as he placed a last kiss on her lips before rolling to the side. "We need to head back. You have church in a few hours and I need to get working on the landscaping over at West. It's Spirit Week or something and Finn and Puck are letting me run lead on the project. I don't want to let them down on my first run through."

"And exactly how long are you planning on working in landscaping?" Quinn asked as she moved to an upright position and pulled the sheet up to cover her chest.

"Until I can do something else," Sam said softly as he pulled his boxers on. "It's giving me the rehab I need without me having to go to a gym and have other guys staring at me like they know what it feels like."

"If you'd go to the gym over in Columbus …"

"I'm not going to an Air Force gym. I don't need to be around those cocky flyboys all the time and I sure don't need to drive all the way to Columbus to do it. I have the gym at home and the guys are letting me help out. It's helping me get back my range of motion a lot faster than lifting weights at the gym. So can we please drop it? I like what I'm doing, I get to spend time with our friends and I don't need to be on the other side of the world to make a difference to someone."

"I'm just not sure planting flowers is the best way to rehabilitate your arm."

"So, what? You report on one health story and you're a doctor now?" he gritted out, wincing a little as his arm got caught in his sleeve.

"Sam," she said softly, reaching out to help him.

"Don't," he said as he shifted away and stood up. "We need to get going. I'll go see if I can find Kurt." She pulled his pants on and slid on his flip flops. "I'm sorry I won't be moving up the ranks in the Army like your father wanted. I can't help that I got shot and discharged. Finn and Puck do good, solid work. They provide. And I will too. If they can do it planting shrubs and flowers and stuff, so can I." He paused as he opened the door. "There's nothing wrong with getting your hands dirty for a living. I feel good when I come home from work. I'll meet you in the lobby in fifteen minutes," he told her finally before walking out of the hotel room and leaving her alone.

-x-

"What the _hell_, Jesse?" Kurt cried as he wrapped the blanket around his chest.

"You know you're not naked, right?" Jesse asked absently as he rolled over and slid a pair of slim glasses onto his nose. "You're still wearing pants."

Kurt furrowed his brow before pulling the blanket away from his body and cautiously peering down the front. "Huh," he said slowly before letting the blanket slide to the floor. "So I am."

"You're so overdramatic," the older man told him as he rolled out of bed and pulled a long-sleeved t-shirt on. He ran his fingers through his hair and turned back to his bedmate. "Before you can ask, no. We didn't have sex last night."

"Right," Kurt nodded quickly. "Pretty sure I would feel it if we had."

Jesse simply stared at him, eyes wide.

"I … cannot believe I said that out loud. To you. Right now," Kurt said, his eyes blinking in disbelief. "I … please excuse me," he added before running to the bathroom and shutting the door.

Jesse sighed and looked to the ceiling, silently wondering what was up with this McKinley group and locking themselves in the bathroom after an uncomfortable, somewhat sexual situation. "Kurt," he said exasperatedly. "Come out of there. No reason to hide or be ashamed."

"Go away."

"You're being dramatic."

"It's kind of my thing," Kurt shot back, his voice muffled by the door. "Just … give me a minute to collect myself."

"Fine," Jesse muttered. "I'll go grab some coffee and pastries from the continental breakfast. You … do whatever it is you have to do in there and I'll be back in ten minutes or so."

"Okay," Kurt said as he sat down on the closed toilet lid.

He was completely mortified. He really needed to censor himself better when he was around Jesse. Not that he intended on being around Jesse. At all. Ever.

He held his breath and listened for the door to the hotel room to close. Once it had, he slowly opened the door to the bathroom, his eyes darting around to make sure Jesse actually left. When he saw the coast was clear, he zipped across the room to grab his shirt. As he buttoned it, his eyes scanned the room for his shoes. Once found, he quickly slid them on, grabbed his cell phone, and moved to the door. He repeated his actions from the bathroom and let out a breath when he saw he was alone.

Or so he thought.

"Sneaking out?" a voice called from over his shoulder.

"N-no," he squeaked as he spun to see Jesse leaning against the wall next to the ice machine.

"Listen, it's okay," the older man smiled as he advanced. "Still not completely comfortable with the whole one night stand thing …"

"You said we didn't have sex!" Kurt screeched before slapping his hands over his mouth before whispering the same phrase fiercely to his companion.

"Calm down. We didn't. It was a phrase. I'm just saying …" he said as he stepped closer still, backing Kurt against the wall. "When you decide that you're finished with _safe_ guys …" But he didn't finish the sentence. He simply leaned forward and pressed a hot open-mouthed kiss to Kurt's lips.

As soon as the younger man started responding, Jesse pulled back with a grin. "You know where to find me," he said before disappearing into his hotel room again.

Kurt stood in the hall for a moment, eyes wide, breathing heavy, as he tried to comprehend what had just happened.

What in the hell did he tell Jesse last night?

-x-

"Oh God," Rachel ground out, her eyes watering and hands gripping tighter at her stomach. "This hurts _way_ more without the epidural."

"I'm going as fast as I can, babe," Finn said in panic. "We're only fifteen minutes away."

"I don't know if she's going to make it twenty minutes," Santana said from where she was leaned forward, her hand being held in Rachel's. "Her contractions are only seven minutes apart."

"Get me to that hospital, Finn Hudson. Speed if you have to."

Santana looked to see where Finn's speedometer was hitting 85. "He's going as fast as he can, honey. We'll make it."

Finn pressed a little harder.

When Rachel cried out only five minutes later, they all resigned themselves to the fact that this baby was probably going to come in the car.

Luckily, however, Finn pressed a little harder and they cut their time in half. Finn pulled into the emergency parking bay and yelled, "San! Go get someone with a wheelchair. Puck! Help me get Rachel out of the car."

Santana brought Rachel's hand up and pressed it to her lips before bolting from the car.

Puck got out as well and opened the passenger door. "I got her. You go park and meet us in there."

"Right. Make sure you tell them she's having a baby."

"I think they'll be able to figure that one out all on their own," Puck told his friend seriously as he gently lifted Rachel from the car.

"I love you," Finn called out as he pulled from the bay and headed to try to find a parking spot.

"Noah," Rachel said softly as she looked up to him. "It hurts really bad," she told him before her knees buckled.

"Damnit," he swore as he wrapped his arms around her tightly. "The fuck is …?" He looked up to see Santana arguing with some kid with a wheelchair. "Fuck it," he muttered to himself before grunting and lifting Rachel into his arms. He walked into the ER and shouted, "Can somebody get her a fucking wheelchair?"

"Language," Rachel whispered.

"Fuck'em," he whispered back and he saw her smile.

And then she started screaming bloody murder.

That sure as hell got the kid's attention.

-x-

"Sam!" Quinn called as she ran into the lobby. "Sam. We have to go. We have to go now. I just got a text from Santana. Rachel's in labor."

"Isn't it early?"

"Yeah, but not too early. But we need to get there."

"Where's Kurt?" her husband asked as his eyes darted around the lobby.

"Right here," Kurt said as he approached. He still looked slightly dazed. "Let's go."

"I'm driving," Quinn said as she swiped the keys from Sam's hand. "I wanna get there before the baby graduates college."

"I can see _this_ is going to be a calm ride back," Kurt muttered as he followed behind, his eyes occasionally glancing behind him to the hallway where room 189 was situated.

-x-

"Where's Finn?" Rachel ground out as she held Noah's hand tightly and Santana wiped her brow with a cool towel.

"He fell when he was running into the ER. They're making sure he doesn't have a concussion," Dr. Woo said as he walked into the room. "Hello, Rachel."

"Stuff it," she muttered before letting out a breath and relaxing her grip on Noah's hand.

He winced slightly as he pulled his hand from her grip and shook it out in a vain attempt to restart circulation.

"Looks like most of the contractions were before you got here?"

"Started in the car," Santana said to the doctor. "They looked really painful."

"They _were_," Rachel said softly, her eyes closing. "I just want my husband."

"I'll go find him," Puck said as he smoothed her hair away from her sweaty forehead. "And I'll call Carole and Burt while I'm at it."

"Please don't leave me," Rachel whimpered as she gripped his hand again. "Please, Noah."

"I'll go," Santana said as she pressed a kiss to Rachel's forehead and headed out of the room.

"I'm sorry," she said to Puck as soon as Santana was gone. "You're such a wonderful man … I don't know why I always think the worst of you …"

"Uhh …" he said as he screwed up his face.

"It's the drugs talking," the nurse said with a smile. "She'll be like this between contractions but then …"

"Oh my God!" Rachel cried out as she grabbed Puck's hand and squeezed.

"Ow!" he cried out and tried to pull his hand back but she just squeezed harder. "The hell, Berry! Let me go!" His eyes were wide and his breathing was heavy, seriously concerned for the wellbeing of his hand. "I need this thing!" he said as her breathing slowed and her grip loosened.

"Woo! Get my husband!"

"Sorry, Rachel," he said with a smile as he pulled on his gloves. "But it's time for you to start pushing."

"No!" she cried out. "Not without Finn! Noah! Push my legs together!"

He stared at her for a moment, eyes wide, mouth gaping open. "No one has ever said that to me before."

"Noah!"

"Rachel!" Finn cried out as he ran into the room, sliding into the position next to her bed. "Babe, I am so sorry. I was running in and I slipped and I hit my head and everyone was freaking out so they made me get checked out. I'm fine. No damage …"

"Big surprise," Puck muttered.

"Shut up, Puck," Finn said without taking his eyes off of Rachel. "Santana called Mom and Burt. They're on their way with Hadley."

"Well they can meet the new baby when they get here. Rachel, I need you to push."

"Hold my hand, baby," Finn said as he held his large hand out to her. "Squeeze as hard as you need to. I'm right here and I love you."

"I love you too," she whimpered before she started to push and a loud screamed was torn from her throat.

Puck thought it was so much different seeing this when he was older. He looked up when the door opened and gave Santana a small smile that she couldn't see as she entered the room with her mask pulled back over her face.

Five good pushes, seven loud screams and a possibly-broken finger later, Rachel slumped back onto the bed and the sound of a baby wailing filled the room.

"It's a boy," Dr. Woo said with a smile.

.**xo**.

Skype Girls – this one, as always, is for you!


	9. Chapter 9  Epilogue

This is it, folks. The last chapter. It's an epilogue, I guess.

Thanks for sticking with me through it. I know there were times when we all thought nothing else was going to come from my writings.

I want to give a special thank you and send my love to two of the most supportive women I've ever had the pleasure of getting to know: **tjcrowfoot** & **egyouppt**. Ladies … seriously. You're awesome and supportive and I owe this story (and many others) to you. Also, **Amy Rochelle**, **blondezilla90**, **skyedrgn**, **gleekedout** & **peryneb** … you guys ROCK! Thanks for all the support and positive feedback (even if you hated it).

And to all of my other readers and reviewers:

Thank you.

.**xo**.

**[two years later]**

"Babe? I think San and Puck are going to be here soon!" Finn called as he walked into the backyard with a plate full of steaks, hamburgers and (yuck!) vegan hotdogs.

"Quinn, Sam and Daisey just pulled in," she said with a smile as she indicated the small family climbing from their car. She tossed the salad lightly, one eye on what she was doing and one eye on her six year old and two year old sitting with her brother-in-law across the yard. "No shop talk," she told her husband sternly. "I don't care how much you and Noah feel the urge to pull Sam into a conversation about the new landscaping contract for McKinley."

"You go it, babe," he said as he pressed a kiss against the side of her head and trotted off to meet the newest partner at HP Landscaping. "No shop talk. Promise!" he called over his shoulder. When he reached the Evans family, he quickly liberated Daisey from her mother's grip. "Hello," he said with a smile as he pressed a kiss to Quinn's cheek. "Sam," he nodded. "And little Miss Daisey May!" he said in a goofy voice. "Where have you been all my life?"

The little girl giggled and squealed, her tiny hands gripping at the collar of Finn's shirt. At sixteen months, she looked so much like her mother it was amazing.

"Her middle name isn't May," Quinn grumbled as she pushed her way past Finn and into the back yard. "And it sickens me the love my daughter has for you."

"Runs in the family," he called after her with a wide grin. He shifted Daisey so he was holding her in his left arm and he leaned towards Sam. "Rachel said we can't talk business today."

"Okay," Sam said with a furrowed brow. "And this is a secret because …?"

"Just warning you. You know how she gets sometimes. It can be scary."

"Right," Sam laughed as he patted Finn on the shoulder. "You Grill Master today or you want me to do it?"

Finn glanced over his shoulder to see his daughter screech and jump up from her seat. A second later his step brother did the same. And then Christopher started giggling.

With a sigh, he let his chin drop to his chest before passing Daisey over to her father. "Looks like it's you today, man. But Puck may want it when he and San get here."

"Too bad," Sam said as he bounced his daughter in his arms. "I was here first."

Finn grinned before shaking his head slightly and heading over to his children and brother. "What's going on over here?" he ask as he watched Hadley hide herself behind a slightly-shaking Kurt.

"Chris has a bug!" she screamed before burying her face in his brother's backside.

Finn arched a brow before turning to his two year old. "Chris?"

"Huh?" the little boy asked, his attention still on the cricket he held between his chubby fingers.

"Christopher?" Finn asked again.

This time the little boy's head shot up and his eyes met his father's. "Daddy!" he screamed happily before climbing to his feet. "Bug!" he added with a broad smile as he offered the poor creature to his slightly-bemused father.

"Thanks, buddy," Finn said with a slight grimace as he took the (now crushed) bug from his son's hands. "We need to wash your hands now."

"No," the little boy said defiantly as he crossed his arms.

Finn couldn't help but think that his son got his obstinacy from his wife.

"Don't make me tell Mommy," the older Hudson said with his brows raised.

"Tell her!" Hadley said, still hiding behind Kurt.

Finn looked to his brother for support. He knew he wouldn't find it; Kurt always took the side of the kids, no matter what the issue, because he was determined to stay in their good graces. He had once told Hadley she couldn't have something and the girl freaked out on him.

Since that day, Hadley knew that if Mommy and Daddy said no about something all she had to do was wait until it was Uncle Kurt's turn to babysit and then ask him. Worked like a charm.

"Hey, Princess," Kurt said as he turned to bend down by his niece. "Why don't you go help Daddy clean up Chris and I'll go tell Mommy for you?"

"Deal," she said solemnly before gripping he little brother's hand (noticeably not the on the had the bug in) and pulled him towards the house. "C'mon, Bug. We gotta clean you up!"

"Had! Slow down. Don't pull his arm out. He has little legs," Finn called as he followed his children to the house, pressing a quick kiss to his wife's lips as he passed her.

-x-

"They're going to know," Santana told Puck shortly as they drove to their best friends' house for Christopher's birthday party.

"They won't know anything if you keep your mouth shut," Puck refuted, eyes on the license plate of the car in front of him. He wondered if he could get someone arrested for driving below the speed limit. Grated, he was only, like, three miles per hour slower, but still. He needed to get to him namesake's party.

Well, his middle-namesakes' party.

The sprained fingers were totally worth it when Rachel had look up with tears in her eyes to proudly introduce those in the delivery room to Christopher Noah Hudson.

He didn't cry.

He _didn't_.

He had allergies, okay?

It was very different when he had this baby placed in his arms. Obviously because it was a boy. But also, this wasn't his child.

He'd held Hadley when she was born but Finn had quickly removed the baby from his arms that time, swearing no man but him and a doctor would ever lay hands on his little girl. Puck refrained from stating that, if this little girl grew up with her mother's looks, there would be no way in hell that horny teenage boys would keep their hands off of her. He figured he would let his best friend find that one out on his own.

But holding Christopher? It was amazing. The little boy stared up at him with bright blue eyes and a calm face (Hadley had been _screaming_ when he held her) and he knew, in that instant, that he was going to be the coolest honorary uncle in the world. He was going to spoil the shit out of that kid.

He wasn't sure life, in that moment, could possible get any better.

He was wrong.

"Noah?" Rachel called sleepily from her spot on the bed.

"Yeah, Rach?" he whispered, his eyes never leaving the little boy he was cradling in his arms.

"Finn and I would like you to be the _sandek_ for Christopher. If you're," she yawned, "willing, of course."

He'd sniffled once, blamed it on his allergies, and agreed.

That ceremony was one of the most moving experiences he'd had in his life.

"Puck!" Santana shouted as she punched him in the arm. "Pay attention! You almost missed the house," she bitched as she crossed her arms.

"You know what? I think I need to take you back home and fuck some niceness into you," he groused as he pulled the car into the driveway.

"And for that? Hope you and Mr. Right Hand and Mr. Couch made up, because that's all you're getting tonight."

"We'll see how long that lasts, babe," he smirked as he pressed a quick kiss to her neck and jumped out of the truck.

"Keep digging, Puckerman. You're bound to hit China some time!" she called back as she marched up to the house.

He chuckled loudly. "I already got my happy ending this morning!"

"That's Thai, fucktard!"

"God, I love her," he murmured before heading for the gate instead of the house. He'd give her time to cool down.

"Puckasaurus is here!" he shouted as he threw the back gate open with a flourish.

"Uncle Puck!" two little voices screamed before he saw the Hudson children tearing towards him as fast as their little legs could carry them.

"Noah, must you always rile Santana up before you get here?" Rachel asked as she stepped onto the deck after meeting her best friend in the house.

"More fun that way, Berry!" he said with a grin as he knelt down and let Hadley tackle him like a linebacker. About twenty seconds later he felt Christopher land on his lower stomach.

_Extreme_ lower stomach.

He was so proud of himself for not cursing.

"Uncle Puck! Uncle Puck! Chris had a _bug_ this morning. He was playing with it and then he squished it and then he gave it to Daddy. It was _gross_!" she said as she gripped his cheeks (a little too tightly) in her small hands.

Chris, not even a little contrite, giggle and shouted, "Yay bug!"

When Hadley rolled her eyes Puck had to stop himself from calling her Little Rachel.

"What did you do to her this time?" Rachel asked Puck as she joined him on the grass and lifted the birthday boy from his lower extremities.

"Nothing she didn't want me to do," he responded as he stood up, lifting Hadley into his arms. "So, whaddaya think, Kiddo? You, me and some My Little Pony later?"

The little girl smiled bright and kissed him on the cheek. "Yes!" she cried out before wiggling from his grip and taking off, no doubt to tell her father that she has Uncle Puck's balls in a vice and he's going to play My Little Pony with her later.

In a six year old way, of course.

Puck then reached out and took Christopher from Rachel's arms. "Happy Birthday, Little Dude," Puck said softly as he held the little boy close. "Did you get to open any of your presents yet?"

"No," Chris pouted. Then he turned to him mother with a pleading face so reminiscent of Finn that Puck almost choked on his own spit. "Now?"

Rachel sighed and shook her head. "Don't you want to wait until after we eat, baby?" she asked him.

"No," he son said flatly before turning to Puck. "Presents?"

Without bothering to look to Rachel for approval, he grinned widely at the little boy. "You bet, Little Dude. Let's go make a mess."

"Yay!"

Rachel pinched the bridge of her nose and wondered if the name alone was a cause of her son's behavior.

-x-

Jesse swallowed tightly as he pulled his car up to the curb in front of Finn and Rachel's house. To be honest, he was quite sure his invitation had been silently revoked.

He and Kurt had started dating shortly after their meeting at the Holiday Inn.

He fancied it a whirlwind romance. He took Kurt out to dinner, took him dancing, took him to the movies …

He thought they were falling in love.

They spent months together. Nineteen, to be exact. It felt like a long honeymoon.

But then he decided it was time to try New York. He wanted the Great White Way. He wanted traffic jams and pollution and eighth-storey walk-ups.

Apparently, Kurt didn't want that at all.

So Jesse packed his things and moved to New York. Alone. Without any hope of a long distance relationship.

So when he met Tara, he was certain that he'd put the whole Kurt fiasco behind him. He could go back to dating women (and, okay, maybe the occasional man) and forget all about the small blonde that made his heart beat out of his chest and his pulse race.

So imagine his surprise when he opened the door to his apartment one day and saw Kurt standing on the other side of it, a suitcase in one hand, some flowers in the other, and a sheepish smile on his face.

And that's when Tara, clad only in a sheet, decided to join him at the door and ask in a sleepy-sexy voice, "Who is it, baby? Come back to bed. I'm not through with you yet."

Kurt had dropped the flowers and walked off without a word.

That was three months ago.

And here he was, proverbial hat in his hands, ready to beg for Kurt's forgiveness.

He really hoped it worked.

-x-

The group of family and friends gathered around Chris as he sat on his father's lap and tore into the elaborate wrapping on each of his gifts.

Kurt wrapped his in paper with glitter on it. That would show Finn.

He heard the doorbell and scrunched his brow together. "I'll get it," he said as Carole was about to stand up.

"Thanks, honey," Carole said with a smile as she leaned back into Burt.

He smiled and made his way through the house. When he opened the door, his smile quickly faded into a frown. "What do you want?"

"To talk to you," Jesse said softly as he reached a hand out to Kurt.

"There's nothing to talk about," the smaller man replied as he took a step back. "We're through. Now, if you'll excuse me, it's my nephew's birthday and he's opening his gifts. And mine is going to shoot glitter when it opens and I want to see the look on Finn's face when it happens."

"Kurt, please. Just … just let me explain."

"No need," Kurt replied. "We broke up, you moved on. Pretty simple."

"I didn't!" Jesse said frantically. "I didn't move on. I swear. I – I tried to. I didn't. But it didn't work."

"Yeah? I can't imagine there was any way you were thinking of me when you were having sex with that woman in New York." He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. "Listen. You don't owe me anything, okay? We tried and it didn't work. It's over now."

"Kurt?" Rachel called from out on the back deck. "Yours is next."

"Excuse me," Kurt said with a slight nod before shutting the door in Jesse's face.

The older man stood there for a moment, eyes unfocused, before nodding once and heading back to his car.

Kurt could think it was over all he wanted. But it wasn't; not by a long shot.

Jesse St. James would not give up that easily. Not on something as important as his true future.

-x-

After the exploding box of glitter (which the children and women – minus Santana and plus Burt – loved and everyone else hated), Kurt presented Christopher with a vintage set of toy soldiers.

Everyone politely ignored they way Finn & Carole's eyes misted over.

"Here. Ours next," Puck said roughly as he handed a square box over to Finn and Chris.

Chris giggled happily as he saw the brightly colored paper.

He ripped into it with gusto and then Finn helped him open the box.

"You got him a _pillow_?" Hadley asked incredulously as she reached into the box to pull out a small, silky white pillow. "It's girly. Is it really for me?" she asked as she turned her wide brown eyes on him.

"Well, this is only one of his presents, Princess. He's going to get his _real_ present in a few minutes. But, no. This isn't for you."

Rachel and Quinn's eyes were wide as they stared at the pillow that Hadley held. The men, it seemed, had no idea what kind of pillow the little girl was holding.

"Are you serious?" Quinn asked, her eyes searching those of her friend.

"Yep," Santana responded with an eye roll. "I swear he's more of a chick than I am with this."

"He really …?" Rachel asked as a broad smile crossed her lips.

"Last weekend," Santana replied with a nod.

"And you didn't tell me?" the brunette pouted.

"You love surprises, Berry," Puck responded with an eye roll of his own.

"But … this is … you guys …"

"Can someone please explain what the hell is happening right now?" Sam asked with a frown.

"Swear jar," Hadley said quickly before adding, "Yeah, Aunt Ana. What the hell is happening right now?"

"Hadley Maria!" Rachel gasped. "That was very bad!"

"I'm sorry, Momma," Hadley said sadly. "I sometimes forget I can't copy Uncle Sam or Uncle Puck or Aunt Ana or Daddy!"

Rachel sighed and pulled her daughter into her lap. "You can only read one book at bedtime tonight. If it happens again, there's going to be a bigger punishment. Understand?"

"Yes, Momma," the little girl said as she snuggled into her mother's embrace.

"Touching family moment aside," Sam said as he adjusted his daughter in his lap. "Please, someone, explain to me what's going on."

Santana and Puck turned to look at each other. A silent _no, you tell them_ conversation running between them.

Santana narrowed her eyes slightly and Puck threw up his hands in exasperation. "Fine. Pansy. I'll tell 'em."

"Tell us what?" Finn asked as he liberated the pillow from his daughter and placed it back in the box.

"We're getting married," Puck said. "In three weeks. And we want the little ones," he said as he pulled a small basket from behind his back and held it out to Hadley, "to be our ring bearer," he nodded to the pillow, "and flower girl," he concluded as he sway the basket a little before she grabbed it.

There was silence for a moment before the women (and Kurt) all burst into instant wedding plans.

"Ohh! Colors, Kurt. What do you think? Late spring wedding. Yellow?"

"I know a great caterer. And Sam can use his contacts to find a good florist."

"I'll prepare the music!"

"Oh, Santana, we should all take you shopping for a dress!"

Santana turned to her fiancé and sighed. "Told you we should have just gone to Vegas."


End file.
